I am halfway up a telegraph pole – it is 20 feet to the top and a very tempting 20 feet back down to the safety of the ground. Foolishly I have agreed to be part of a management team on one of those “outward bound” courses involving the building of bridges, rafts etc. and for some reason a challenge involving an ascent up the very same 40 foot telegraph pole I now find myself clinging to. Oh, and I should mention I REALLY don’t like heights…
The task involves climbing to the top of this infernal pole, somehow levering myself onto a small platform at the top and leaping into the air to grab a trapeze that appears to be about 6 miles away before being lowered back to the ground.
As the corrugated spikes that stick out the sides of the pole start digging into my hands I realise I have one of two choices to make – basically up or down. Looking down I can see the beaming faces looking back up at me – “Come on Bill!” they shout as I ponder my dilemma. In the end I decide on “up” and slowly start to climb…
Amazingly I manage to pull myself onto the platform and with shaking legs slowly stand upright until I can see the tops of the nearby trees. In fact my legs are shaking so badly they are sending vibrations down the pole, which in turn is swaying even more alarmingly. “3, 2, 1, go!” the others helpfully shout and I close my eyes and launch myself between pole and trapeze…
I miss completely of course (the fact my eyes were squeezed shut in fear didn’t help) and as I am lowered back to the ground looking like a baby in a harness I realise that there was a particular moment when I managed to conquer my fear. Funnily enough it wasn’t the “leap”; it was the moment I was halfway up the pole and decided to continue into the unknown.
Next time you face a challenge ask yourself “what is the worst that can possibly happen?” You never know where it might take you!
For more tips when facing challenges download Secrets of Success