- Believe in yourself
I’ll never forget this day. We were conducting a recovery operation. Tragically, a mid 20-something male drowned swimming in a particularly treacherous part of the Niagara River. It was a part of the river I looked at frequently, but never thought I’d have to dive there — more accurately, that I COULD dive there. And here we were, right in the middle of the worst spot – heavy currents, debris everywhere to get caught up on, and low visibility.
I happened to be the first diver that would splash. My Lieutenant (I’m a civilian on a police dept. dive team) looks me right in the eyes and proceeds to say the words that would literally change the trajectory of my life – “once you touch the water, you get the fuck to the bottom as quickly as you can, and get that body” I still get chills down my spine whenever I think of that moment. He had ABSOLUTE, CERTAIN, UNCOMPROMISED BELIEF in my ability to get this done. There wasn’t ANY hint of doubt in my skill or ability to perform. When someone you respect believes in you on that level, you have no choice but to believe in yourself.
It’s incredibly unfortunate that it took the tragedy of a drowning to enact this change. From that moment I started to believe in myself on a whole new level and really internalize that I can accomplish whatever I set my mind to – in all areas of life. It was the destruction of one of the most limiting beliefs I have held since childhood and by far one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned.
If more people would have uncompromised belief in themselves, their abilities and talents, the world would be a different place.
2. Risk can be mitigated and reduced, exponentially
Risk, risk, risk, risk, risk, risk, risk. It’s all I hear – in business and, of course, when I mention my diving activities. And until I went through ‘Dive Rescue International’s Rescue Diving Certification Courses (Current & Ice Diving Operations) that I learned risk is something that doesn’t need to be feared.
When we dive, the person under water is the primary diver. This diver does not splash until his safety diver is in place – a diver in full gear ready to go immediately. Nor will the primary diver go until there is an 80% diver ready behind the safety diver – this person is in 80% gear, ready to go quickly, if needed. Backup after backup after backup. ‘Line pulls’ discussed in case communications go down. Equipment redundancy – multiple knives, regulators, etc.
An activity that could be very dangerous, becomes an orchestra of risk reduction strategies, leading to an exponential reduction in the chance of serious injury or death. And as our Dive Rescue instructor reminded us frequently, he has never had even a training injury during his long tenure.
3. Preparation is everything
As the last lesson might have suggested, preparation is everything. We are constantly reminded that these skills, like others in life, are very perishable. The more prepared we are, the better the results and the safer we become. To reference the old adage: Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance. How true it is, just as much in life and business as in dive operations.
Trust and respect can also be a by-product of this level of preparation. The more I see my colleague(s) out there practicing and preparing, in a constant state of readiness, the more I trust his (or her) skills when it comes time to perform. I respect the hustle, I respect the hard work, and I definitely respect the results this mindset produces.
4. There is a thing as a soul – the body is merely a vessel
When you see death, you begin to believe in life. Our essence in NOT our body, it’s our soul. You see this when a body goes from being vibrant, whose energy you can literally feel, to an empty lump of meat. Life should be cherished and respected on ALL levels, and they body is merely a vessel that should be taken care of.
To use (and paraphrase) Warren Buffet’s analogy, imagine you can choose to buy a car, but that car will be the last one you have for the rest of your life. How good would you take care of it? You would keep it clean, use the best fuel, and get oil changes all the time. BUT why don’t we do that with our body? Its the last one we’re ever going to get.
Our body is a capsule that houses our soul — and should be maintained as such.
