Leap of Faith

I woke up one spring Orlando morning to a hard bounce on my bed. Three of my buddies were excitedly chattering about our plans for the day. I rubbed my eyes and slowly came to the realization that they were taking me skydiving, and there was no way I would be able to refuse.As we drove to the skydiving center, my 20-year-old mind began to wrap itself around my decision. I was a 20-year-old guy, so as I watched the men pack the parachute bags with precision, I was way more excited than nervous.

Throughout the plane’s ascension, however, the nerves began to set in. My nerves reached their peak about halfway up. Several competitive skydivers held hands and jumped out at “competition” height causing the entire plane to jolt and bounce. By the time we hit 20,000 feet, I had short, shallow breaths. No refunds, no backing out now.

It was my turn.

The door of the plan opened wide and I crept over into position. I had a shorter, smaller, but much more experienced man strapped to my back. This human backpack was a nice touch of security. 1-2-3. Leap. I arched my back hard as I had been instructed to do to prevent going into a tailspin. The freezing cold wind hit my face, and I was in sensory overload until my traveling companion hit me hard on the chest two times. We were free-falling for a thrilling 75 seconds at the speed of 175 mph. It was a rush like no other. The closest comparison I can come up with is the sensation you get when you stick your head out the window driving down the road; the difference is you are going 175 mph!

Then it happened. My human backpack looked down at some device on his wrist and then pulled the chute. When he pulled the parachute, a sense of balance and harmony came over me like none I had ever felt. We were able to glide alongside a hawk into a peaceful descent, and the high I felt when I landed was indescribable. I went from extreme sensory overload to extreme harmony in the matter of seconds.

We all take leaps that scare us, make us better people, and make us feel more alive. This company is one of my leaps. I believe in the ideas of DRIVE so much so that I am taking the big leap of faith now. I am hoping to share DRIVE’s ideas with other educators and other school systems and help lead the way to growth, balance and greater happiness. I can feel my friends bouncing on the bed beside me, pushing me and telling me, “Leap! We know you can do it!” This leap feels reckless and extremely safe at the same time. The path here has had its nervous moments not unlike when the plane jolted; there have been moments when I felt like things were coming from every direction at 175 miles an hour; there have been supporters like my wife who have added confidence and been my human backpack.

I’ve made the leap now and I’m all in. The parachute moment comes next (a post for another day), but I am DRIVING ahead. I am looking forward to bringing change to this world and hoping we can work together to better understand ourselves, our colleagues, the people we are serving all while taking our own leaps of faith.