I’m 13,000 ft above the ground with sweaty palms, and an accelerated heart rate. The wind roars as I approach the door. At this time there is only one way to reach solid ground: jump! I check in with my instructor and assume my position in the door. Crouched down head between my knees, I wait for one of the biggest pushes of my life, and then it comes. I’m sent tumbling head first out of an airplane at 100 plus miles an hour. I hold my position for five seconds and then explode into an arch and find myself surprised at how easily I recover. I check my altitude; give one practice pull as my instructor glides into position in front of me.

He signals for my first maneuver and I spin 360 degrees to face him again, and then suddenly I realize that I feel comfortable. I’m not panicking, I’m not afraid but relaxed, and for the first time in the air, confident. Forty five seconds later I’m reaching over my back and deploying my parachute. As I feel myself lifted upwards I look up and breathe a sigh of relief as I see my main chute take its tell tale rectangular shape. After completing my control check and moving to my holding area I can’t help but look back on the events that got me to this point.

About a year ago this time I was a senior at Stony Brook University, searching for the next step. My entire life I knew I didn’t want a “normal” job and had begun a search into graduate schools for outdoor education, when I came across an adventure travel company called Bold Earth Adventures. To me this was a dream job, an entire summer as a trip leader spent camping, rock climbing, and white water rafting! But I have to admit there were serious parts of me that felt uncertain. I doubted my abilities, and felt largely unqualified for the job, but rather than passing up the opportunity I decided to take a chance and applied. I put myself out there, trusted the world and was offered a job soon after applying. After having one of the best summers of my life, I heard about High Trails and decided to put myself out there once more and wound up with one of the most enjoyable jobs in my life.

Eben Coenen at Joshua Tree  National Park

Looking back I can’t help but wonder what made me question myself? Why do people spend so much time doubting themselves? Why do I know so many people who sell themselves short, and feel like they are unable to do the things they really want in their lives? It simply doesn’t make any sense. In my relatively short life there are a few important lessons that have occurred to me and that I strive to teach everyone I can. They aren’t complex and with a little bit of practice I believe they are things that can vastly improve a person’s life if they just make an effort to follow them every day.

Life is short. Learn as much as you can with the time you have. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, in fact, make an effort to because it only makes you stronger in the end. Stay active, stay positive, and don’t ever listen to anyone who tries to tell you that you’re incapable of doing something. Explore. The world is just one giant playground; don’t just stick to one slide because you’ll miss out on all the other awesome things you could be doing. Embrace failure, absorb criticism and laugh at fear. These are all things that have the same power to motivate an individual, as they do to break someone down. Always be on the lookout for opportunities in life that could change you in a positive way and when they present themselves don’t be afraid to jump, because you might find that taking a leap of faith was the best thing you ever did.