705. Professional Skydiver Jumps into a New Career

“My Dad is a pilot. My dad met a friend of his who was a skydiver and they decided to open a skydiving drop zone at my dad’s house. He lived on a dead-end road with a grass strip in the back yard. I would sit in on the first jump course and really learn about skydiving. I could have done it [sky diving] when I was 16, but I was too scared. But after I graduated high school it just hit me ‘Okay, I’m ready tomorrow. I’m doing it.’ And I did. The rest is history. That really is a pivotal experience in my life.”

“I was unhappy with my job in Los Angeles and very stressed. That sent me into some personal reflection, which led me to picking up the book, ‘What Color Is Your Parachute?.’ Obviously I picked it up because it had parachute in the title. But one of the questions in that book altered my direction forever. The question was, ‘What would you do if money were no object?’ Obviously it would be skydiving, but I had all of these excuses, all of these preconceived ideas in my mind, about why I could not do what I really wanted to do. But with further reflection, I realized other people were doing it. So I proposed to my first official Drop Zone that I run their events and marketing and be their lead on the social and experiential side of their business, which is exactly what I did—while also honing my skydiving skills, eventually becoming a world-renowned professional skydiver.”

Trust your journey.

“The skydiving discipline that I was a part of and passionate about is called four-way formation skydiving. I competed in this and taught it. Through formation skydiving I learned how to:

– Set goals
– Plan
– Communicate
– Navigate conflict
– Mentally be strong in the face of challenge.

You will learn so many skills over your career that will prepare you for your next steps. You may not see it while you are learning, but the pattern will come clearer as you look back.”

1. Do not let your mindset block you. Skills are skills and they can be transported to a different career any time in your life.

2. Go back to the very beginning of what is now occurring in your life right now. From there, start to identify actionable ways to move forward and grow.
Ask yourself, “What would you do if money were no object?