I enjoy making new connections during webinars.
Last week, I met June, a Singaporean who migrated to Australia, in a webinar breakout session.
Her new life in Perth has been nothing short of an adventure.
At age 56, she lived to tell the tales of her 2 ‘impossible’ from her bucket list – bungee jumping and skydiving!
As someone petrified of heights, her courage intrigued me.
Just as how her stories surprised me.
June recalled how she spent weeks preparing for the bungee jump – researching, preparing, and rehearsing her jump mentally.
As the date drew nearer, her thoughts of backing out got louder.
“I kept having visions the rope might snap … and what if I got myself killed in the process? I questioned, do I REALLY want to do this at 56?”.
On D-day, she froze on the platform.
It took her more than an hour to finally leap.
By contrast, she was glowing when detailing her skydiving experience.
“Wasn’t skydiving a lot scarier?” I questioned.
“No, I enjoyed it more! My instructor had done hundreds of jumps.
I felt safe with him”, she explained.
Here’s what struck me:
⏩ When she trusted the process, June turned doubts into thrills.
From doubting..
‘do I REALLY want this’ → savoring her experience
whether her ropes might snap → trusting her instructor
whether she would hurt herself → assurance of having a guide
I resonated with June’s stories.
I had my ‘standing on a bungee platform’ moments each time I changed roles in my career.
I felt the same when I transitioned from my corporate career into coaching – the “What ifs.”
What if I fail?
What if this is a mistake?
What if I have to return to corporate looking silly?
After several ‘career bungee jumps’, I began to recognize these doubts are just part of our human response.
They are not real.
If you’re going through a transition and feeling unsure,
instead of doubting yourself → 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁𝘀.
Recognize them as protective instincts, not your limits.
Talk to someone who’s taken a similar leap and give yourself a chance for a new perspective.
Ready to cross out your bucket list?
