The Jump

When I was fifteen years old I jumped from an airplane with nothing but a parachute. Though the age to skydive was technically sixteen, I was able to do so a year early because the jump took place in Ukraine and I had a connection in the company. In Ukraine, no one cares what you do as long as you stay alive doing it, which I did as I am sure you have already guessed.

I looked down to the world below me and saw the large gap between the ground and me. I was paralyzed with nerves and anticipation at the sight. Moments later, I was pushed out of the airplane at the height of 800 meters with my eyes closed tightly. I opened my eyes midair to see I was comfortably floating and enjoying the bird’s-eye view. It was one of the best moments of my life. In that moment, I was truly happy with who I was, what I had done in my life, and the people I was with. In that baptism-like experience, I let go of all the negative emotions I had toward any aspect of my life. The jump put everything in perspective.

The jump was the most nerve-racking experience I had ever had until years later when another life decision came into my world and rivaled it. I became interested in finance and investing during my junior year of college. It led me to meet people who changed my perspective of the world and helped me discover strengths that I had previously not been able to tap into. I have always been independent and had a desire to do things my own way so that I could leave my personal mark on the world. The more I contemplated my legacy, the more I thought about what direction my life would go. In this time period, I discovered entrepreneurship. The end of my junior year came quickly and I knew I had a choice to make. Should I go along with my majors, find a nine to five job, start a family and get a mortgage? The recipe for the American Dream. Or, join a start-up and… Well, here is the interesting part about that lifestyle, no one knows what’s going to happen. The second choice involved risk and I eventually decided to take that risk. This decision would endanger my chances of staying in the United States with a Visa, which put even more pressure on my family who had worked so hard to send me to America to receive a good education.

Both of these stories describe two the most stressful and nerve-racking experiences in my life. Both involved a jump in which the outcomes were unknown, uncertain, unsafe, risky, life and death type of decisions. These decisions are the experiences that inspire books, movies and legends. These are the moments that move people to do things they never thought they were able to do.

What have I learned from those two experiences and how does any of this relate to your life? I will explain this in my next post.

Before you go, Have you had an experience similar to mine? I would love to hear about it!

Related posts:

Iron rusts from disuse, while stagnant water loses its purity; even so, does inaction sap the vigors of the mind. When we were kids, remembering things seemed to so easy and effortless. We could…

Be the best version of yourself. That is the advice that I give to myself first and foremost. It is also the central principle that I look to instill in those individuals that partner with me for…

I have heard that any company’s where tags. I don’t care Im a little confused get back an forth had a cavity for of how much it only renewed my car if they are single, just told me yesterday.” the…