This week has been pretty hectic with my offshore training starting on Monday through Wednesday. I braced myself for the early morning jam from PJ to Ampang but to my pleasant surprise, the roads were clear and I was super early. I thought that it was due to my genius of planning and execution that I could beat the jam. Sadly, it wasn't the case. It was due to the school holidays! I wasn't complaining! I gladly embraced my good fortune and cruised my way to Ampang every morning with a broad smile on my face. :D (Gosh, now it looks like a Facebook status update...!!!)
Nothing really eventful happened apart from the fact that I had to sit for a simulation helicopter crash in a confined space and roll over underwater as well as jump 20 feet off a platform. I aced it, of course! *adjusting bow tie... because I wear bow ties all the time...
To be truthful, I looked really calm and composed in the midst of it all (I can see myself from a third person's view all the time too...) but my mind was racing with all kinds of possibilities and outcome. Now it may seem that I am very comfortable with water and have no problems with it... yes and no.
I always love the waters but it doesn't mean that I am competent or confident in it. I nearly drowned when I was 11 years old at Pangkor Island. To cut the whole story short, let's just say that it involved an idiotic friend, a float... or rather, an idiotic friend who took the float while I was in the water and God's grace. I still loved the waters but now with a newfound fear as well. Drowning is a terrible way to die, trust me.
However, I loved the water too much to allow my fear to keep me away from it. I signed up for swimming lessons, struggled, overcame my fears and the rest is history. Don't get me wrong. My fear for the water is still there. It's a healthy fear; a form of respect, if you may. I know what it can do to me. I know its power. I just merely learned how to adapt myself to its environment and manage my fears of it and most importantly, enjoy it.
As for jumping into the water from a 20 foot platform, it's no different from jumping from the side of a swimming pool. The only difference is that it takes you longer to hit the water from a 20 foot platform. It's all in the mind I guess.
The next time you're afraid of something, try facing it. You may not overcome it the first time around. Give it a few more encounters. Maybe sometimes you just need to know your enemy a little bit better or perhaps sometimes, more importantly, it's about you knowing yourself a little bit better.
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