So there I am sitting on a bench waiting for my turn and feeling somewhat nervous. Waiting for what? For indoor skydiving. I know I’m not jumping out of a plane at 10,000 feet and that it’s totally safe but still…
As it turned out it was quite a lot of fun. It’s just one of several new things that I’ve tried in the last year and that I will try in the coming year. I am trying to stretch out to try several new things (rock climbing and free running are next on the agenda) and so far they’ve all been quite exciting and fun.
During my vacation I tried out several new things including surfing (I would need 6 months of continuous practice to become an adequate surfer), ATV driving (somewhat terrifying) zip lines (fairly fun).
The Author, hanging on for dear life.
One thing I noticed during my zip line experience was how the zip line trainers were so at home in the trees that they were nonchalant and self-confident hooking themselves up to the lines and would fling themselves out into empty space without a second thought. I suppose it’s due to the fact that they’ve done this so much that they’re accustomed to it now and they’ve lost all the reticence that first timers like me have.
I noticed the same attitude with the sky diving instructors. They all had more than 5 years experience with the wind tunnel and with actual sky diving so that they could now just meander around the wind tunnel effortlessly and launch themselves up and down with just a slight shift of their body position.
On the drive home I started thinking about them and the zip line guys. Basically they were doing the same job, providing safe thrills for tourists while doing something that they really loved.
I then started thinking about one of Leslie Farnsworth’s blogs about rat races not just here but in other countries. One group of guys working in an ultra modern indoor wind tunnel, the other group working on a tropical paradise among the trees. Who’s to say which group is luckier or has the better job.
The main thing though is that both groups get to do something fun, they get to meet a lot of interesting people while doing it, and of course they’re able to make a living doing it.
I think that’s the key thing that most people are looking for in a job or a career. No matter where you live or what you do for a living you want to be able to do something that you will enjoy.
When you find that career or job that you like then the location really doesn’t matter as much. The working experience more than makes up for any differences in salary or where the job is located. Your working day becomes something to look forward to rather than a chore.
Sometimes when I’m working away and it’s a particularly rough week I have to step back and think about the times when work is a joy and when things were going well and remind myself why I got into this line of work in the first place.
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