What has Skydiving Taught You in Everyday Life

[jonstark 8]

Not to take myself too seriously. I was a real snob on any given weekend until I started load organizing at the odd boogie in the 80s. Humble and helpful will get you a lot more friends and admiration.

jon

[Jewels 0]

There's more to me than I had started believing there was.

I have the capacity for being passionate about something, as opposed to merely enjoying something or appreciating something.

Being alive and feeling alive are virtually unrelated.

Academic/professional achievement is nothing compared to the deep sense of satisfaction that I get from pushing myself and testing my limits, whether it's in the tunnel or in the air. Both achievements are important, but one nourishes my brain and the other nourishes my spirit. I am someone else entirely when I am giving attention to both, and that's the person I enjoy being the most.

TPM Sister #102

[tomleone 0]

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That skydiving humor is NOT appreciated in corporate America.

But if only it were!

I'd add that those who don't understand the sport just think we're just nuts. They don't know how seriously we take not only our own safety but the safety of those we share the skies with. If only corporate America thought that way.

Take risks not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping ~ Author Unknown (but I wish I knew)

YouveGottaTryThis.com

[airtwardo 6]

Not to take things to heart, laugh things off, don't judge a book by its cover, listen, learn, but at the same time make your own decisions and throw caution to the wind once in a while.

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Very well said!

It's also taught me not only attention to detail, but to take the time to fully understand something complex I'm going to do.

To seek the help, assistance, guidance and opinions of 'experts' in various important matters.

Taught me not to stereotype.
You really can't judge a book by it's cover, and just because someone 'appears' to be a low class loser shit bum...doesn't mean they are a bad person.
Some of the best people I've met, I wouldn't have given even a moment to in the 'real' world...but our common interest led me to listen and form respect.

As someone said earlier, I too learned anything is possible if you want it bad enough.
I started jumping at age 18, and fortunately it introduced me to people that opened my eyes to things I might not have seen or learned until many years later, if at all.
I've been places and seen things my old hometown buddies couldn't fathom.

I became an Licensed Skydiving Instructor at age 19, it was a goal I had to work very hard to achieve and something I was quite proud of.
It taught me responsibility it a way I doubt anything else could have at that age.
Doing that quite possibly pushed me / convinced me, to go to college.

But most importantly it taught me open minded tolerance, that there IS more than one right way to do a thing, and that just because someone has green hair doesn't mean they can't kick your ass shooting accuracy!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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[pash 0]

That the act of living life to its fullest, 60 seconds at a time means the inevitable narrowing of everthing therein. I was able to make friends more quickly. Tell someone I loved them within days of meeting them - and mean it. To laugh from my heart, like I never have before or ever will again. To feel like a child again and be a good student. To learn that just because you've separated yourself from mainstream society doesn't mean that you can't have a panic attack in a business meeting.

That you may well spend the rest of your life wondering how you could ever get to the point of smiling at terminal velocity, only to wonder how dealing with other unknowns in life are not, in any way, aided by skydiving.

how someone could sleep - fully sleep, while their jean shorts are being cut off and peanut butter is applied to their balls, while Marley licks it all off (tentatively yet with an appetite) - at 10am in the morning with students mainfesting and wuffos pulling into the parking lot.

How some could see this as bad, and how some could see this as good. I don't get skydiving and it haunts me. Well at least it's a good story...

jason

ps - it has taught me that no matter what is going on in life, there is always something more important. pull and love life.

[TheBile 0]

That a flat hand at 100mph+ can easily be misread as a pointed finger, that introverts don't fit in as well on a DZ as extroverts, that one skydiver has a greater sense of responsibility than 10 whuffos, that I'm a "skinny fucker", that 3 hours on the ground is worth one minute in the sky, that anxiety before a jump pales in comparison to anxiety before a first date, that the sky is my favorite part of the Earth and that British weather sux !

Gerb

I stir feelings in others they themselves don't understand. KA'CHOW !

[piisfish 136]

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So, what has skydiving taught you? What have you learned that you have transpired to your everyday life and being?

If you can pack it fast and easy, it'll pop out fast.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Squeak 17]

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that the sky is my favorite part of the Earth and that British weather sux !

OI Fucker

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Cowboy1974 0]

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uhm. I learned that falling out of planes is rather enjoyable..

AMEN!!

I'm just a newbie but I've learned a few things:

1. There's no such thing as a perfectly good airplane.
2. Be able to take criticism and praise.
3. NEVER STOP LEARNING!! (sorry that's the teacher
in me talking)

Have You Hugged Your
Local Skydiver Today?

[Unstable 8]

I think I've learned a lot about myself in skydiving - somethings that stick out to me are...

- We all screw up. So don't get cocky because you can freefly better, or fly your slot better, et cetera. Don't make people feel bad about screwing up, or refuse to jump with them because they arn't good enough, et cetera.

- keep drama out of the DZ, workplace, classroom, et cetera.

- Make goals. This year I want to make 150 jumps, inspect & repack 55 rigs, go to one new Dropzone and one new boogie. Also, I set goals to get a 3.5 GPA, Study Math for at least 1.5 hours a day, and make time for my family. Without goals, you're just kinda screwing around.

- Go to bed early and get up early - make that early bird load every Saturday. You're not going to get much done if you are staying up til the wee hours of the morning everyday.

=========Shaun ==========

[caspar 0]

better risk assesment to huge degree and generally analysing tings/situations better.

greater confidence.

being methodical to a greater degree.

determination and sacrifice give great rewards [e.g paying for jumping etc], obvious but jumping made me see it.

having a passion in life changes everything for the better so much its unreal. im sure you all know how that changes your life.

organisation to some degrees.

being able to weigh people up better [learnt from when jumping with strangers]

99% of the population are pussies

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

[Lindercles 0]

Skydiving has taught me that no group of people is immune to basic humanity. As much as we like to think we're somehow different and special, we're not.

Skydivers are made up of assholes, jerks, saints, whiners, leaders, lovers, fighters, back stabbers, and good samaritans. Just. Like. Every. One. Else.

[squirrel 0]

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So, what has skydiving taught you? What have you learned that you have transpired to your everyday life and being?

I now know exacltly what a PC feels like when you hit "CTRL-ALT-DELETE." so gooood, sooooo relaxed...soooo....refreshed.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[floridadiver81 0]

Alot like you gail it has taught me to live life on the edge. We really dont know when it will time our time to go. Thats what got me to skyive the first time. I always told myself that i wanted to do it before i died. At the time i did my tandem i slated to go to iraq...so i wanted to do it before i left. I did it..then found out that i wasnt actually going...so then i decided to take it up as a sport and havent looked back!

"Age has absolutely nothing to do with knowledge, learning, respect, attitude, or personality." -yardhippie
"Fight the air, and the air will kick your ass!!! "-Specialkaye

[FreeflyChile 0]

Skydiving has taught me not to panic when things get all messed up. Close calls in the sky where you can see things developing that make you go "Oh shit" only to require a cool head to get out of without being hurt really help me keep a perspective when life throws a curve ball on the ground.