The power of facing fear

I had the most incredible day recently, not just because I got to do a heap of cool things but because I discovered I could jump out of an aeroplane without feeling any fear. Sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.

I was road testing a new adventure package on offer at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast here in Australia and it included sky diving, jet ski riding and off-road Segway riding – all in a day. Oh, and they threw in a couple of hours of circus school, just for fun!

Going up in the small plane to do my skydive, I discovered to my surprise I didn’t feel scared at all (much to my instructor’s disappointment, I think!). I just couldn’t wait to get out of the plane and do a big freefall, and float down over the beaches and waters of the coastline. Tumbling out the door of the plane was the most amazing feeling, I was grinning from ear to ear.

I’m not claiming to be ultra brave (I can’t watch scary movies!), I attribute the lack of fear to having faced my biggest fear, being set on fire, at the stunt training day I did a couple of months ago. I really was terrified of being engulfed in flames and doing it it pushed my fear threshold much higher.

It’s really important for us all to get out and push the limits from time to time, especially when our lives are consumed by jobs, kids and other responsibilities. It’s great to see what you can do and come home knowing you’re that bit braver/stronger/crazier than you thought. Here’s some video of my skydive; hopefully it will inspire you to do something fun.