For programming and coaching inquires, please email SmitleyPerformanceSystems@gmail.com
Recently I took the time to set aside a whole day for "vacation". I haven't gone on a legit vacation in some time, and I figured after one year owning my own small business, it was time to reward myself.
I had a profitable year, brought in more revenue than I thought I would (hell, I wasn't even sure if I'd make it 3 months), learned a lot about the process, and built a solid client base. But quite frankly, to me, that's not what it's about. It's about "Building Better People Through Strength". I could honestly care less if my business is profitable, so long as I help others get what they want out of their programming. Luckily enough, I've got both going for me.
Anyways...
Since it had been a full year, I took the day as a "personal" one, and decided to go skydiving. I had been skydiving twice before, and I absolutely loved it! Clearly anyone that has the balls to jump out of a plane at 13,000 feet once, let alone multiple times, has to think they are going to like it.
I went entirely by myself, no friends, family, loved ones, etc. I wanted this to be "all me", and enjoy the 60-75 seconds of free fall.
Remember how Dave talks about the "void"?
For me, skydiving fills this role OUTSIDE of the gym and iron.
I took some time about a month ago, and asked myself, "What do I like to do? What do I truly enjoy?...No. What do I enjoy that doesn't have ANYTHING to do with weights, fitness, health, etc.?"
Honestly, I sat there for about 5 minutes and couldn't come up with anything. Everything I thought of reflected back to powerlifting, health, or fitness.
Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what I do. But I do know that I'm young, and that if I stay surrounded by all this without another outlet, that I'm going to burn myself out within the next five years. I just know it.
I remembered back to the last time I went skydiving, and thought, "Shit I miss that!"
Hence, I decided to go back and get another rush.
While I was there, I looked into the Accelerated Free Fall program. This program is designed to set you up to skydiving completely solo. No tandem, no instructors, no help. Nothing but you jumping out of a plane. The price is pretty reasonable, and the amount of education that goes into such a program is pretty hefty. But after talking with my tandem partner he said it's not near as bad as it looks. Basically understanding the gear and safety is what matters. I mean, jumping out of the plane doesn't take much work. Just a big set of balls.
I've decided that I'm going to begin saving to do this, and become a certified skydiver.
Why?
How many people do you know that do this? It's not very common to find someone that has done it tandem, let alone is certified to jump out of a plane solo. Plus, like I mentioned above, it's a hobby outside of the weight room. It's a void that I can have literally minutes to myself where nothing else in the world matters.
Having winds at over 100 mph on your body, jumping out of the plane, seeing the ground, spinning around, and just knowing that the human body isn't designed to be airborne brings a sense of well being deep down.
How's It Relate?
So how does this relate to powerlifting? Simple.
Think of the first time you hit the platform. Remember the nerves you had? You thought you were going to bomb on squats from missing commands, forget a vital piece of gear, have no help, and be worried that everyone thought you were weak?
Did that happen?
Chances are if you are still competing, it didn't.
At the end of the meet, you thought, "I've got to do this shit again. I can't wait to get back to the gym and get better so I can get more PR's!"
Skydiving is no different. You are worried about gear malfunctioning, the plane crashing, worried sick when the gate goes up to jump out, and wondering what the hell you were thinking and what everyone else in the plane is thinking about you.
When you hit the ground, you want to strap back up and go up again. You want to do some spins, flips, grab the other jumpers hands, etc. You got hooked.
Many people won't go get certified, just because their cost to benefit ratio isn't in their favor or they just wanted to knock something off their bucket list. But for the select few, they think this is something they may want to do for a lifetime. While it can't be done every day (unless you become an instructor or weekend jumper because you live so close to an airfield and jump zone), it can be done on a fairly regular basis a few times per year.
Powerlifting and skydiving both take balls. Both events are have your life at risk, but like anything else that has high risk, it usually has high reward. There isn't much else that can compare to a PR lift, winning a big meet, or knowing you accomplished a goal you set out for yourself, that years ago that was only a dream. Just like jumping, there isn't anything that you can substitute for it.
Final Thoughts
My message with this post, is to stress how important it is to find something outside of lifting for personal fulfillment. Sure, most people aren't probably going to find something near as nutty as jumping out of a plane, but if you can find something that has nothing to do with a gym or powerlifting, it's going to be healthy for the long run.
I will always consider myself a powerlifter first, but knowing that I will call myself a skydiver in the near future fulfills me. It's another outlet and event that I can use to balance life when things get rough. For many others it may be another sport (baseball, basketball, football, snowboarding, water skiing, etc.), hobby (woodwork, art, music, writing, etc.), or a myriad of other things.
So just take the time to ask yourself:
"What do I enjoy doing that has nothing to do with lifting?"
If you're like me, and struggled with this, I challenge you to find something and become just as good at it as you are lifting. The fulfillment you will have will increase tenfold.