Out on a Limb…
It’s the summertime- time to catch some rays by the pool, time for some carefree days with friends, time to enjoy a campfire or a relaxing day at the beach; however if you’re like most students, its also time to earn some money for school next year.
I’d encourage you to also use this time to do something that scares you, at least a little. There are many good jobs out there, however serving, construction or retail are all pretty common, and they probably won’t do a whole lot to give you a leg up on your peers when it comes to gathering experience and creating a resume that will appeal to future employers.
There’s a spa in Arizona that I’ve been to few times now, and I adore it. I love the zen feel I get when I’m there, the spa treatments are heavenly, the food is amazing and you can do any type of fitness, yoga or photography class you can imagine. However one of the things I’ve come to cherish from my time there has been the “challenge activities” they offer.
One visit I participated in what they call, “Out on a limb”. Essentially you walk across a hydro pole about 30 feet in the air. Now, I’m not especially afraid of heights, or at least I didn’t think so. However as I prepared to go, and got my harness on, it suddenly seemed a lot more daunting. There were about 7 or 8 of us in our group, and I let a few others volunteer to go ahead of me. No one seemed to have any trouble at all traversing the beam. I finally summoned the courage to volunteer to go next.
I began climbing the ladder that rested against the pole, and when I got to the top of the ladder and had to start climbing the medal pegs, my knees began to shake. Not a little, a lot. I finally got to the top and was hugging the pole for dear life. I knew in my head that nothing bad could happen, I was in a harness, if this log was on the ground, I could cross it simply. However my knees weren’t getting the message, it was if I had no control at all over my legs.
After some coaching from our instructor on the ground (which felt so far below) he encouraged me to just let go and walk one foot in front of the other. So- I took a big deep breath, focused on the mountains in front of me and took a step, and then another, and made it all the way across! I did it! Then our instructor below, yelled up for me to walk backwards. Are you kidding me, I thought. But off I went, and you know what, that was easier, because you just have to let go and trust. You can’t see where you’re going, so you don’t overthink each step. I think it’s natural for us to build things up in our head to be much scarier than they actually are.
When I was lowered to the ground, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and exhilaration. I felt like I could take on the world. For some of you, taking on a job in sales, might feel like walking across a beam 30 feet in the air. But I’ll tell you, we often grow the most when we step out of our comfort zone, and I’m so glad I went out on a limb!
I’d encourage you to also use this time to do something that scares you, at least a little. There are many good jobs out there, however serving, construction or retail are all pretty common, and they probably won’t do a whole lot to give you a leg up on your peers when it comes to gathering experience and creating a resume that will appeal to future employers.
There’s a spa in Arizona that I’ve been to few times now, and I adore it. I love the zen feel I get when I’m there, the spa treatments are heavenly, the food is amazing and you can do any type of fitness, yoga or photography class you can imagine. However one of the things I’ve come to cherish from my time there has been the “challenge activities” they offer.
One visit I participated in what they call, “Out on a limb”. Essentially you walk across a hydro pole about 30 feet in the air. Now, I’m not especially afraid of heights, or at least I didn’t think so. However as I prepared to go, and got my harness on, it suddenly seemed a lot more daunting. There were about 7 or 8 of us in our group, and I let a few others volunteer to go ahead of me. No one seemed to have any trouble at all traversing the beam. I finally summoned the courage to volunteer to go next.
I began climbing the ladder that rested against the pole, and when I got to the top of the ladder and had to start climbing the medal pegs, my knees began to shake. Not a little, a lot. I finally got to the top and was hugging the pole for dear life. I knew in my head that nothing bad could happen, I was in a harness, if this log was on the ground, I could cross it simply. However my knees weren’t getting the message, it was if I had no control at all over my legs.
After some coaching from our instructor on the ground (which felt so far below) he encouraged me to just let go and walk one foot in front of the other. So- I took a big deep breath, focused on the mountains in front of me and took a step, and then another, and made it all the way across! I did it! Then our instructor below, yelled up for me to walk backwards. Are you kidding me, I thought. But off I went, and you know what, that was easier, because you just have to let go and trust. You can’t see where you’re going, so you don’t overthink each step. I think it’s natural for us to build things up in our head to be much scarier than they actually are.
When I was lowered to the ground, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and exhilaration. I felt like I could take on the world. For some of you, taking on a job in sales, might feel like walking across a beam 30 feet in the air. But I’ll tell you, we often grow the most when we step out of our comfort zone, and I’m so glad I went out on a limb!
Jacqueline Wright
Olivier Verkempinck
Jordan Baptie
Sarah Baker Andrus