This week it was my birthday.
41 years old.
I know, I don’t look a day over 40.
Now, each year I buy myself a present.
This year the gift was a bungee jump in Whistler.
It had been a while since I did the last one.
Probably 22 years.
A leap of faith, that back then, was over a very dodgy-looking car park in Ayia Napa.
So time to upgrade and up Whistler Mountain, we went….
Now after what felt like an endless winding track, we finally reached the jump.
At which point I signed my life away and got geared up.
Needless to say, Barney (my 10-year-old) came with me – to watch.
… B-U-T after looking at everything and fiddling with all the kit, all of a sudden he asks.
“Dad – can I do it?”
Which wasn’t the plan.
However, it turns out for some unknown reason, kids can bungee in Canada.
So I ask the bungee guy, and he gives Barney this response:
“You can jump kid, but remember, no wimps and no refunds.”
Barney nodded and agreed.
It was then that I explained if wanted to jump he’d be covering half from his end.
Again he nodded and agreed.
“Dad, I want to jump.”
Ok then. Game on.
He gets geared up.
We walk slowly over the bridge to the jump platform.
His eyes get wide…
He looks like he might be sick…
And then he confesses:
“Dad, I’m shytting myself.”
“Yep” I nodded.
Then, it’s time.
He steps up to the platform.
He takes one long deep breath…
And then he jumps.
For a split second, there’s total silence.
Nothing.
Then I hear….
“Yeaaaaaah!”
… And here’s where it gets interesting and instructive.
Once he was back on solid ground, I asked why he decided to jump.
His response:
“’It’s five seconds of fear or a lifetime of regret’”
Wise words from a young man.
And it made me think about this game that we play.
Half of the mental challenge is exactly that…
Shytting yourself but choosing to do it anyway.
Because in the end, five seconds of fear is always better than a lifetime of regret.
It’s what makes this journey worth it.
Worth building something of your own…
Worth living on your own terms…
Worth standing on your own two feet…
Until next time.
Make More. Provide More. Be More.
Charlie Hutton
