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Dive In - What Sky Diving Taught Me

3/27/2015

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The world seemed so LOUD!  If everyone could just whisper so I could hear myself think I would be able to get some relief! I was having a quarter life crisis which was two years past due.

Out of nowhere new thoughts and ideas were developing by the second. I felt trapped in my own body. I knew what I wanted to accomplish but was too afraid to do it. Afraid and hesitant things were either too risky or the timing just wasn't right. I naturally started to create lists with hopes that it would prevent my brain from exploding. There was a list for everything! One day I woke up and there was paper everywhere. It was a mess....I WAS A MESS. I think I cried every day in the month of December. 

My husband couldn't take it anymore! On my birthday I woke up at 4am for work and he instructed for me to call out while handing me a print out of our Sky Diving appointment! WOW! It was so refreshing to be offered the opportunity to do something new and daring. It was the perfect birthday gift considering it was of course on my bucket list. I did not think twice. My family was visiting for the holidays (my birthday is the day after Christmas) and I quickly announced that I was going sky diving before anyone could talk me out of it and we left. The drive was silent. It was so obvious that we were both nervous but we had too much pride to admit it.

Once we arrived I felt very calm. The staff was warm and inviting and the music from the nearby restaurant was perfect. Imagine Dragon's-Radio Active was playing and the lyrics were fitting. I was excited and no longer scared. I was ready to do this!  I signed the disclosure form, learned a little about my tandem partner, hopped into my purple suit, did a safety check and walked towards the plane. I was with my husband and a group of 5 other men who already jumped twice that day. It amused me that this was routine for them.  I stared out of the window and watched us go higher and higher into the clouds. 

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My husband called my name gave me a quick wink and a smile. He knows me so well. My tandem partner asked me what the hell made me wake up and decide to do something so crazy. I told him it was my birthday and he shouted "Damn right it is! Get ready to be reborn". Out of no where the door opens and I hear the wind gushing in and I'm ready. My husband was first and by the time his partner counted to two they were gone. Just like that. He looked smaller and smaller by the second. 
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Next it was me! We sat on the edge of the plane with the world 13,000 feet underneath us. By the time my tandem partner counted to three I was F&$*ING FLYYYYYYYYIIIINNNNGGGGG!!!!!!
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Talk about an adrenaline rush! My first reaction was to laugh. I just couldn't stop laughing it was AMAZING! My arms were fully extended and I could feel the skin on my face flapping in the wind. I felt the parachute eject and it jerked our bodies back allowing us to glide. That is when the experience became beautiful. For a second the world became silent. It was so calm and the view was breath taking...literally. I inhaled deeply and began to speak. Who knows what I was screaming at this point I remember my partner laughing and wishing me a Happy Birthday. I remember thinking THIS IS LIFE...this moment right here...right now! My partner told me to get ready for landing and we slowly landed in the most natural way. I imagined the landing to be harsh and physically demanding but not at all. 
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As I landed my whole life fell into place just as my feet made contact with the ground. He released the clips and the four of us shared hugs, fist pounds and high fives. I instantly felt like a new woman!  All of my thoughts and concerns had answers. Just like that I was reborn.  With this experience I became a changed woman. I honestly wanted to go back up again. This experience changed my perspective on life. Here are four things sky diving taught me.

1. Own the Moment
Be Present. Thinking about what went wrong yesterday and worrying about what could go wrong tomorrow prevents me from enjoying right now. Now is the moment we are truly a live.

2. Don't be afraid to trust others
I needed my tandem partner in order to be successful in sky diving. I couldn't have done it without him. He was in full control and look...here I am at home safe and sound. If I didn't trust him and listen to his instructions I could have seriously harmed us both. I do not have to be in control of every single thing. 


3. Be Fearless
Fear is a mind killer. Fear will cause you to become your biggest enemy. Once I realized I wanted to jump more than I was afraid. My desire became stronger than my fear. Applying this to every day life has saved me so much time and stress.


4. I have the best husband ever-PERIOD.


When life gets a little challenging don't be afraid to escape. Don't sweat the small stuff. Take a break and put the world on hold. Trust me it will be there when you get back. 
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Do What You Are? Personality Test

3/17/2015

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Every so often I'll have a moment where I feel isolated. Honestly, it's too often! I always feel like an outsider looking in. Obviously, it is not always fun feeling this way but I have learned to accept that I think differently than others. I have finally embraced it. It took me a while to learn that seeing things from multiple perspectives and being able to generate various possibilities is a strength of mine. Too many times I have been called the voice of reason which would occasionally irk me. I would prefer to be a rebel and say F&%k it in most situations but I just can't help expressing how different people may perceive a situation and help every one come to a common ground. Even in the rare situations where I did throw my hands up....deep in the back of my mind I am still hoping to make things right but trust me I won't lose sleep. I use to think I was not social enough and would force myself to interact with people even when I really did not want to. For clarity, it is not because I disliked the person or the activity.I love a good party, BBQ or outdoor activity! It's simply because I can only deal with groups of people in small doses I find social environments draining. I don't know how people seek social events every day of the week. That is #teamtoomuch! I unconsciously  hear, see and analyze everything so I leave social events exhausted. My husband thinks I'm a human lie detector/human reader but I can't blame him I haven't been wrong yet!

I learned to accept this about myself after reading Do What You Are by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieg. I came across this book at a moment when I was sick and tired of working long hours and was seriously considering switching my career field but I was struggling with leaving my comfort zone. I was searching for some kind of validation or sign which is not a shocker (I'm super intuitive).  Do What You Are provides a scientifically validated system of personality types and valuable insights about yourself. I was amazed at how accurate the details of my personality type was. In fact, I was mind blown! I mean seriously it was trippy!!!! Most of the details described about my personality type I've actually heard from different people in my personal life. Especially the part about people feeling like they have an easy time connecting with me but find it difficult to get to know me because I come across as private and reserved. It was as if someone spent time observing me and received feedback from my closest friends and family and created a chapter about it. The biggest Aha moment for me was hearing that my personality type was between 1 and 3% of the U.S. population! This obviously validated why I think differently than others and feel isolated. This book is a keeper! I convinced my husband to take it to see if he felt his results were accurate and he did. Whenever I find things beneficial I try to spread the wealth with as many people as possible so I  implemented it in the training program I designed for the leadership team at work. We had just received the results of our engagement survey and needed to improve our leadership engagement. I enjoyed seeing and hearing everyone's reactions to their results. It was a such a huge success I had to create a follow up training course which was very successful. 

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Ms. INFJ "Outside Looking In"
There are 16 Personality Types
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What is Your Personality Type?
You can take the test here
My personality type is: INFJ
I doubt everyone who reads this book will instantly jump into their dream job but I will say it can help you move in the right direction. The results will provide you a better understanding of your personal strengths and weaknesses. Three months after reading this book I submitted my letter of resignation and received an offer less than a month later for a position that promotes innovation and gives me the flexibility I need. When you find out your personality test take a moment to Google your four letter combo. I came across some interesting articles.
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You can purchase this book at your local Barnes & Noble or on Amazon.com
Enjoy!
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March 08th, 2015

3/8/2015

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