“Just close your eyes and step off the board”, were the instructions said to me the first time I was stood on that god damn diving board, all trussed up in a survival suit and life jacket, sweating my bits off and gazing into the watery abyss below, contemplating the fact I would be held back and separated from my friends if I couldn’t complete this test.
I was caught between wanting to jump off to pass the test, and wanting to do anything but. Paralysed!
Blimey, it makes my heartbeat quicken and my stomach wrench just remembering that day and typing it out. The best bit was, the instructors understood my fear and wanted to help me through it. They knew the score.
So they take me down to poolside edge and all I have to do is the same thing – Close my eyes and step off. And I did and barely got my head immersed thanks to the life jacket.
Confidence increased, they took me to the low diving board, same action – Close eyes and step. And I did it.
Then, as quick as a flash, they bypassed all the other recruits to get me to the front of the queue on the big diving board. Way up high. And all I had to do was – Close eyes. Step.
Some people can just trust themselves and go. For others, they need to build up that reassurance.
I gave myself until Spring 2021, and thanks to true grit and determination, and the support of a co-working group that held me accountable to this project, I’m ready early!
The best part is, I’m not done. A few months back I feared – is this my best work? Is this all I have? Because at time it was like my brain was this scattered, foggy, mess and nothing was emerging. It just crashed.
And when I hit that publish button… Wow! It was a huge release and the floodgates opened. It freed up all this energy, ideas and brain bandwidth. Which meant I could start jotting some notes for book two and getting excited about that one.
If you have been forwarded this by a friend, they thought of you and you can subscribe here.
Abbie Pierce 