Bungee Jumping & Learning A New Skill

If you have never been Bungee jumping before, I totally recommend it. I did mine back when I was studying at university. Below is a short video of it. It is rather blurry and I do apologize for the quality. The video was taken around the same time the first Iphone was released. You know, back in the day when Nokia was the main go-to phone.

Bungee jumping should definitely be on anyone's list of adventures to try. It was on mine and upon having saved enough, I got a few of my friends to go jumping off one of the bridges in New Zealand. Everything about it was exhilarating. As much as Bungee jumping is fun, there are some valuable lessons on learning that can be learnt. Some of these lessons were learnt in a fun manner, some, not so much.

The Long Walk & The Decision To Learn

Bungee jumping doesn't start with jumping off the bridge. There's the decision to do it and the long walk towards the platform. Most platforms are situated in the middle of a bridge or some distance away from a cliff. It is done so to avoid any jumpers from slamming into the side of a cliff as you would tend to swing around a little bit.

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Since the platform is some ways off, the walk towards the platform is a particularly nerve wrecking experience. Throughout my walk towards the platform, I was wondering what would happen if the bungee cord would break and I would go plunging into the sea below.

The long walk itself is in many ways similar towards learning a new skill. In a world that is ever changing, those who do not learn new skills will soon find themselves at a disadvantage. I believe that many who enter into the work force or even some time before that have a decision to make. I remember how inadequate I felt as I entered into the workforce, I was not equipped to deal with money nor teaching. The things that I was taught in college was obsolete by the time I graduated and well, money is a whole alien subject altogether. Thus, I made a decision to sign up for courses and to learn as much as I could.

The decision to leap off the platform and dive deeper into learning a new skill is one that everyone has to make. You could always be contented and not learn an extra skill. However, think of the possibilities available to you if you do. Think of the possibilities once you make that leap.

Leap, Or Else...

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No one is really forcing you to leap or go Bungee jumping. So the question is, should you? I went because it is such a great experience. I did take precautions though. I am a reasonably good swimmer, so I chose a platform high above some body of water. There was one above a deep ravine. I gave that a solid pass.. You know, just in case the cord breaks.

Upon taking that leap, I have learnt a few lessons. First off, if you don't jump, the facilitators on the platform would push you. My friend had cold feet upon the first countdown and once the facilitators prepared her for a second jump, they did not wait for the countdown to complete before pushing her off. There will come a time when you would realize that you need to upgrade your skill set. If you do not leap into it fast enough, someone would push you. That push could be in the form of a missed promotion opportunity or a business deal. Thus, why not take the leap?

The second lesson comes during the process of falling. As you plunge towards the body of water below, it is important to remember to enjoy it. Sure, you could scream and wave your hands around, panicking, or you could relax and enjoy the ride. Throughout any learning process, you will come to dread the exams, assignments and late nights studying. However, don't forget to enjoy the learning process. The learning is only as short as the jump in bungee jumping. However, if you spend your days dreading it, not only will it affect your grades, you will not be happy. Similar to looking back at your Bungee jumping photos, would you rather enjoy the jump and look cool or freak out and look like someone trying to fly in the air? Choose wisely.

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The most important lesson however is that you come to fear less. You will learn that jumping off a 46 meter platform with nothing but a cord tied to your feet is not a big deal. Similarly, you will learn that if you could spend time learning a new skill, it does something to your self confidence. You will come to realize that you can do anything at all and nothing is impossible if you really put your heart to it.

Even If You Make Mistakes...

Of course, like everything else, things can go wrong when you Bungee jump. Yes, the cord can break, but aside from that, you could look really stupid because you didn't listen to the instructions properly. That happened to me. I was told that once I reached the bottom, I would be pulled up. As I was being pulled up, there is a cord that I could pull so I would be in an upright position as I get 'reeled in'.

I did not listen and thus, I was reeled in upside down. It looked as if the facilitators caught a really big fish and that big fish was me. I have a video of it, but you would understand that since Steemit is a blockchain, I don't want there to be any record of me looking like a fish on the blockchain. As I got back tot he platform, my friends cheered and me being reeled in upside down was forgotten. That being said, the lesson I have learnt is that looking stupid really does not matter. Even if you look stupid throughout your learning, you will still end up at the end with a degree or some evidence of success. That evidence of success is more important than how cool you look at the end.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and hopefully this has inspired you to pick up a new skill or at least go Bungee jumping. Thank you for stopping by, would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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