Mark Beal, PR guru-professor-author, shared his 101 Lessons They Never Taught You In College at a recent PSG gathering in the Princeton Library. Although each lesson is a valuable learning for all “post-college grads”, Mark highlighted the ones he thought most benefited our group of professionals in transition. Masterfully, Mark related a dozen or so lessons bringing each one to life with personal antidotes and stories, Mark’s signature style. Lesson #46 struck a chord for me.
Five years ago
my daughter asked to go skydiving on her 18th birthday and my
response was, “Great idea, I’ll take you but I’m not jumping!” This chorus
repeated every year since. Mark presented Lesson #46 Try Something for the
First Time and my brain perked-up asking, “Why not jump?”
In the face of
looking for a new job and being confronted with various beliefs about getting
the right position, I asked myself again, “Why not jump?” This query uncovered
a fear within myself regarding falling out of an airplane with a malfunctioning
parachute...that terrified me! Was I experiencing a similar fear around my job
search, i.e., What if the next position didn’t work out?
Fast forward to
this weekend, my daughter’s 23rd birthday, she and I jumped out of
an airplane 10,000 feet in the air, made a free fall for 55 seconds, and an
eight minute parachute drop!! My nerves were calm until my daughter jumped
before me and I glimpsed the earth below, deep gulp! I acknowledged my nerves,
focused my attention to the clear, blue sky and the great opportunity to feel
free and energized. That imagery got me off the plane. The ground was in my
view whether I wanted it or not (I could have closed my eyes but that would be
a waste!) My eyes looked down and my arms outstretched, I felt the
intense pressure against my chest and face, and yelled, “Oh My God…!” After
that, we gently parachuted to the exact spot where my tandem partner glided us
to a soft halt. WOW!
My landing was
safe: no nausea, no jitters, no broken bones, and all pure adrenaline pumping
through my veins. My first thought was, “Why did I wait so long?” This
experience provided me a fitting metaphor for my job search. Instead of seeking
a position out of fear of being unemployed or the new job may not work out, my
circumstantial view shifted to realizing an opportunity like the beautiful
clear sky on Sunday morning at 10,000 feet in the air. This is my opportunity
to find a great position, one that pumps pure adrenaline through my veins!
Thank you, Mark, for being the catalyst for this enlightenment!