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| Jim Anderson catching some air at Jetpack America |
Here are five lessons from flying a jetpack that can be helpful in everyday life.
Small change can make a big difference.
To navigate the jetpack, the adjustments on the control bars are minuscule. A millimeter of movement can result in dramatic changes in altitude and direction. A comparable example from my recent experience: a donor recently committed to the largest major gift in the history of a small nonprofit organization. Years ago, he started tossing quarters into a large bowl, then depositing that money when the bowl filled. That account, essentially his collection of loose change, funded a significant portion of his gift. Literally, small change!
Forward momentum is critical.
One thing the jetpack instructor wants you to do is maintain forward momentum. If you start to hover, you risk an unplanned back flip (which I almost did)! In daily life, it may feel at times that you're "hovering." Piles everywhere, lists that never get completed. Focus on getting one thing done every day--at least one thing is moving forward!
You need a coach that you can understand.
It's one thing to have a coach; it's another thing to have a coach that you'll actually pay attention to. One of the technical challenges of the jetpack is simply hearing the directions from your instructor--the jetpacks are loud and the helmets are not the best fit. While the instructor tries to coach you through adjustments, sometimes it's hard to hear or understand the terminology, or it's hard to get your brain to process the instructions quickly. When you actually do what the instructor wants you to do, things go really well!
Sometimes the greatest obstacle is fear.
I'm not a strong swimmer. Other than swimming pools, where I stick to the shallow end, I would rather look at water than be in it. Open water is scary to me. The jetpack itself wasn't that scary: it was the part about crashing into the water and not being able to surface that scared me. Logically, I knew they were not going to let me drown, but I was still a bit scared. So when I was airborne, I was tense, worrying about crashing, which made it harder for me to adjust, which made me crash. Whenever I remembered to relax and breathe, I had a much better time with the flight. (It also helped to have a very reassuring instructor.) There are other things I'm afraid of that impact my day to day, but if I remember to relax and breathe, using meditation techniques, it usually works out okay. (Except anything with spiders. Can't relax on that.)
It's a lot of work to make things look easy.
You got to admit--flying the jetpack looks pretty easy, doesn't it? But I was exhausted at the end of a 20 minute flight! This activity is about small muscle "twitch" movements, and way more work than it looks like. So, as is often true in life, things aren't always as easy as they look.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience. Jim was incredibly happy with his flight. If you'd like to channel James Bond and try your own flight, go to Jetpack America. (Mention either Jim Anderson or Alice Ferris to get a $50 discount on your first flight.)
And please watch our videos: whoever gets 200 views, gets a free 20 minute flight! And we'd like to go back, so stay tuned for more random lessons....
You got to admit--flying the jetpack looks pretty easy, doesn't it? But I was exhausted at the end of a 20 minute flight! This activity is about small muscle "twitch" movements, and way more work than it looks like. So, as is often true in life, things aren't always as easy as they look.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience. Jim was incredibly happy with his flight. If you'd like to channel James Bond and try your own flight, go to Jetpack America. (Mention either Jim Anderson or Alice Ferris to get a $50 discount on your first flight.)
And please watch our videos: whoever gets 200 views, gets a free 20 minute flight! And we'd like to go back, so stay tuned for more random lessons....
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