Jetting out of my comfort zone – how this relates to your health journey.

Over the weekend, we had a family day out on a jet ski safari on our local seaway.

Generally speaking I’m not a thrill seeker. I’m happy to do scary things like move half way around the world, go travelling to foreign countries, give birth to four kids, but I hate roller coasters, horror movies, anything involving high speeds or risk to life.

Yep, I’m a big wimp!

But we all have our own strengths and weaknesses!

So, in order for my son to be able to have a go at driving a jet ski, I had to step up, put my big girl pants on and give it a go.

The morning started early at 7.30am with a safety debrief. That successfully got my heart racing before we had even gone near a jet ski!

We then had about 15 minutes driving around in a circle to get the hang of the ski before heading off in groups down the open seaway. We were told to keep 100 metres distance from the ski in front (because they don’t have brakes) travelling at 50-70kmph. You are under constant pressure to keep up with the ski in front for the next hour and a half.

How this relates to your health journey:

In life when we want to learn a new skill there is always a temptation to find the quickest route possible to get to the end result. Everyone is always searching for the shortcuts or quick fixes to make changes in their life.

There are numerous problems with this mindset:-

1. If you rush learning a new skill just to keep up with others, you miss out on discovering the true benefits of the skill.

2. When you rush to learn a new skill, you miss out on making new discoveries that might be attached to that skill – variations in the methods of doing the skill which might suit you or your outcome better.

3. Rushing to learn a skill can often mean that you will never be fully proficient at that skill. Most new skills require practice and repetition to truly master the skill.

4. When you follow shortcuts you can miss more interesting paths and tangents, which may offer you far greater opportunities.

5. Sometime the journey to the final outcome teaches us far more than the outcome itself.

When we embark on the journey to look after our bodies and minds, the quick fix route invariably fails to inspire and teach us the necessary lifelong skills we need. This is why crazy, short term diets never work.

My tips for you to achieve lifelong health and well-being:

1. commit to the journey,

2. enjoy the process of the journey,

3. Practice the skills you need to look after yourself daily and

4. be open and curious to new pathways.

(Bonus Number: It’s always best to have breakfast before you start! We had breakfast half way through the ride but low blood sugar definitely triggered higher anxiety levels for me at the start of the ride. )

Whilst the jetski expedition was a success, we all felt that having to rush and keep up with a large group, meant we couldn’t fully enjoy the process of learning a new skill. I think this sentiment applies to any new experience or learning in life.

Rushing to achieve an outcome as fast as possible, will mean you will miss out on all the benefits that skill can offer you. It may even put you off the final outcome, resulting in a feeling of failure and a lack of achievement.