The plane door creaks open, and I am able to see the ground far below and the clouds so close I can almost touch them.

And as I teeter there on the edge, I have a moment of absolute fear—fear my parachute won’t open, fear my instructor somehow lacks the ability to guide me safely to the ground below, fear a wind will carry me away before I can safely land. My fear tells me to stop, not to jump and to live life logically and safely with two feet firmly planted on the ground.

Yet, what fun is that?

Life is meant to be lived, experienced. In those moments of fear is when we can feel most alive. And as I jumped, I felt free, alive and amazed at the experience of seeing the Earth in such an amazing and majestic way. My fear gave way to accomplishment, adrenaline and the desire to do it all again.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all” ~ Helen Keller

Every time I do something adventurous like skydiving, rock climbing, or caving, I have this moment of fear, of doubt; I think the fear will always be there. Yet, there is a greater fear of just letting this life pass me by that keeps me going, keeps me seeking new thrills.

We need to conquer our fear not by refusing to be afraid, but by refusing to let that fear rule or define us.  I still feel my heart racing before I attempt a risky endeavor, but that racing heartbeat reminds me that I am alive, and that I am living life to the fullest every day.

We can step outside our comfort zone by actively choosing to live a life that makes our heart race—makes us feel alive—by living each and every day by our own rules and by choosing our own adventures, whether jumping out of an airplane or going on a vacation.

We only get one chance at life, one chance to live this grand adventure,  so we need to hike that trail, raft those mountains, dive in those oceans and climb those mountains.

Each day we need to say “yes” to actively living this life, savoring each moment and embarking on new adventures. We must let the fear of not truly living outweigh the fear of pursuing our adventures.

There is adventure in every day—we just need to seek it out and dare to live life to the fullest.

Author: Michele Genzardi

Editor: Evan Yerburgh

Image: Author’s own