Recently I vacationed at Atlantis in The Bahamas and I was very fearful about doing some of the rides. I just wanted to relax, but curiosity got the better of me, and my inner voice said “you need to conquer your fear and let go.”
Challenger and Leap of Faith
These were the names of a couple of the rides at Atlantis. Challenger is good practice to prepare for the Leap of Faith. It is not as steep and the aim is to race with the person in the slide next to you. There is a timer at the end that shows who did the faster time.
Different Strokes for Different Folks – Easy Rides
It’s interesting how differently people perceive things. My husband and sons went on Challenger and Leap of Faith, and they said those rides were intense. My husband even admitted that he felt like turning back after getting to the top of the leap of faith slide and looking down. I thought, well there is no way I am doing that. Just the name alone suggests that you are making a big decision and big risk by doing it. You need a lot of faith.
My husband and eldest son said the tube rides were easy. So, I thought let me try those. The first one was horrible. It made a big drop and rocked me from side to side. My heart raced away. Later I discovered it was called the Drop Slide. Go Figure! I thought “if the easy rides felt like that, then how terrible the challenger and leap of faith rides must be.” Then something rather interesting happened. My husband went on a ride called the Abyss. He said it was similar to Leap of Faith, but it felt safer because it was enclosed in a tube the whole way. Leap of Faith left you more exposed. I decided to try it. I joined the line and started questioning the guy in front of me. He described the ride in the same way as my husband did. As I got much closer and looked over I realized that inside the tube appeared dark. I confirmed this with the guy in front of me. I then turned back. This ride that seemed safer to my husband had the very elements that scared me. He felt more secure being in an enclosed tube, but I didn’t. The other so-called easy ride that had dropped and rocked me from side to side had also gone through a dark tunnel for part of the way, and it scared me. I don’t like enclosed spaces. I don’t even like being in an elevator. So, that ride that was more secure for my husband was scarier for me.
With this realization that we liked different rides and had different perspectives on what felt secure versus scary, I decided to try the Challenger. I noticed that there were instructions to cross my arms over my chest and cross my feet by my ankles. I did exactly this and also closed my eyes. My son was doing the ride with me, competing for the best time, so that comforted me also. I went down the slide fairly calm and before you knew it the ride was over and I was okay. This ride that my husband said was scarier than the easy tube ones, had felt nicer to me. It felt pretty much like just going down a steep water slide. And in reality that’s what it was – a water slide.
Conquering My Fear and Letting Go
At first I was still terrified at the thought of doing the leap of faith. But then I started to strategize. I asked myself, “what’s the worst that could happen?” The answer that came back was “maybe my heart will pound and my stomach will rumble.” I hate that feeling, but I remembered the Challenger, and thought, “maybe it won’t be so bad. After all it’s just a waterslide.” I also considered that my husband and son were not initially aware of the instructions to cross your arms over your chest and cross your feet by your ankles, so the ride would have felt worse for them. I also reminded myself that if I look down it will appear worse than it is. So, my strategy was to not look down, to cross my arms and feet and to close my eyes. I reassured myself that if I followed all those steps I would make it. So I climbed up those steps, I stood in line, prayed a thousand prayers asking the Holy Spirit to heal my fear based thoughts and I took the leap of faith.
At the end of the ride I was shaking. My heart pounded as I looked back up in amazement at what I had just done. My husband waved down at me and smiled. As I met up with him, he hugged and kissed me and told me he was proud of me because I conquered my fear. I was happy and I promised myself that this would be the start of me conquering many other fears. In life we sometimes have to let go. Question your actions, strategize and conquer your fear. I am not asking anyone to do the Leap of Faith, especially if you have health problems, this may not be for you. But use it as an example of how you can face fears in your career, in your relationships, or any other area of your life. Never let your fear hold you back from achieving your dreams.
Best regards
Karlene
