Maximum Fear, So Much Life

You realize you've been scared of heights. And every flight you've taken, the higher you go in terms of buildings and giant wheel rides - has all been chipping away at that fear.

So, you're in the plane, and you are seeing the views you love so much. The buildings begin to get smaller as you go higher and the sunset is getting brighter. You're now at 13,500ft, and then... the door opens...

And at that moment, you can't believe the doors of the plane are opening in mid air. Then... people start DROPPING out of the plane - and the instructor who goes before you drops on the count of ONE, not even two or three. Your eyes bulge... then... it's your turn...

You're strapped to your instructor and he moves you both forward. You tuck your feet under the plane as you were taught and go over the rules ONE LAST TIME in your head...

Smile & Have fun

Arch

Legs up when landing

You wait for your instructor to count to at least one - but, after a pause, nothing...

Then suddenly... YOU DROP...

And for that 60 seconds of free fall there's nothing securing you, there's no parachute, no direction - you are literally and figuratively floating BEYOND your fear.

In that moment, just like Will Smith mentioned, you realize "God placed the best things in life on the other side of fear."

Fear literally leaves your body, tension and anxiety leaves your body. You are the lightest you could ever be. Your mind is so clear. You have no thoughts. Everything is so serene. You are now at the point of maximum fear experiencing so much life.

And then the parachute deploys - you take your goggles off, blink a few times - you observe everything and SMILE as you float above life.

Then, deep within - you understand that you just did something you said you would never do. Something that made you live life in the shadow of fear. A fear that made your mind be confined to it's dark jail cell at even the slightest thought of experiencing something this beautiful.

You suddenly ask yourself, why were you scared? Something so blissful, so peaceful, so filling - you almost missed because fear told you "No."

It will occur to you that you are doing probably the one thing you said you would "never do" because you are "too scared".

You need to understand that fear is a construct preventing us from truly living. In that moment, soaring above everything - I personally perceived fear as truly "Facing Everything And Rising" - because, I was literally rising above my fears.

No matter what you are living in fear of, whether it's taking a gap year to discover what you truly like instead of rushing to college when you truly do not want to, changing your major, leaving a current job to pursue your true passion, starting your own business etc, do it now - in this moment, while you still can.

Don't deny yourself pure bliss because of "fear".

LIVE life for yourself. LIVE true. LIVE happy. LIVE free.

You only get one life, so maybe, at the point of your MAXIMUM FEAR, you will experience SO MUCH LIFE.

#theBOLDjourney

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Thank you to Skydive Snohomish and all the instructors, especially mine, Spotty, for the amazing experience.

Shoutout to the greatest group of Microsoft Interns - brought here by Microsoft as interns, became friends by choice.

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Full video of my dive located below.