The Power of Positive Thinking

I’ve always been a big believer in going out into the world and throwing your positive energy to the universe, knowing that what you’ll get in return is bound to be positive.

Part of that belief comes from the understanding that you never know what someone else is going through. Treating them in the nicest way possible, even if they aren’t the nicest people ever, may just turn out to be the best thing you could have done – for both of you.

The other part I learned after skydiving…

As skydivers, positive thinking is a must. Sure, you want to be prepared for the worst, but if you go into every skydive focusing on the worst, that’s what you’re going to get. You may not get a malfunction, but your skydive likely won’t be what it could be if you stay focused on having the best jump ever.

Positive thinking, leads to positive actions, which lends to the idea that people will naturally want to do things for you that will lead to positive outcomes. This can be something as simple as smiling at someone walking down the street, giving a compliment. For all you know, that was the most positive thing that will happen to that person today, and you may have made more of an impact than you think. Then again, maybe it’s just a drop on the bucket of rainbows and kittens that she will experience that day, but either way, it was positive. Sometimes just doing nice things can brighten your day.

So I challenge you, even the most cynical of you, to go out there and try to do one positive thing each day – whether it’s for yourself or someone else. You might just kickstart a whole new pattern of positivity in your life.

Love and blue skies!

Ashley

Reflecting and resolving

The week between Christmas and New Year’s always seems a bit like limbo – the family holidays have ended, yet the new year hasn’t quite begun yet. I find that, for myself anyway, this week tends to be a time of reflection and goal setting.

I’m not one of those people who, year after year, resolves to do the same things (like lose weight, eat better, quit smoking/drinking, etc) and gets fed up 1 month in and puts that goal off for another year. I like to use the learnings from the past year to formulate my goals, that may be accomplished in 2012, but may also be longer-term goals that’ll stick with me a while.

That said, I’d like to take a look at my resolutions from last year and see how I did.

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Be Honest: with myself and those around me. Make it known what I want, then work out a compromise if it doesn’t match others that are involved.

Success! Though, I do have to admit that I still struggle with this one. I’m a giver, I like to make sure others are happy, but I’ve taken great strides in making sure I’m happy too.

Write more.

Success! Well, mostly. I took some time off from this here blog to get my head around where I wanted my writing to go, and I think that time off provided great insight that was needed to continue my writing in a positive way.

Make yoga and meditation a priority.

Fail. My year started out rough, like really rough, and I lost sight of this part of taking care of myself. It was enough of a struggle to get myself to eat sometimes, let alone take the time to meditate about life. So, we’ll try again this year.

Photography: be better about capturing memories on photo.

Fail. I don’t have any good reason for this. But, I did just open my Etsy shop here: http://photohut.etsy.com. So hopefully that’ll jumpstart my drive to keep up with my photography.

Relax.

Fail, then success. Until about May I was wound tighter than I’ve ever been, but after starting a new gig and planning my incredible wedding, I learned to not worry so much. Those who know me in person would be incredibly impressed with how relaxed I was as a bride – and in turn, the day was perfect!

Wear more jewelry.

Success. Kinda. Aside from my engagement ring and wedding band, I typically wear my closing pin along with an om symbol pendant around my neck, the occasional right hand ring, and always my diamond studs (a gift from my parents that I rarely remove). What can I say, I think I’m just a basic kinda girl.

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Looking back on this year, it was a HUGE time of growth for me. It was the first year of marriage that was celebrated by our wonderful wedding with friends and family just outside of Chicago. I adopted a dog who taught me just what unconditional love is. I’ve learned what kind of person I truly am, and am still in the process of learning how to share that with others.

More than anything I learned that the human spirit can overcome great obstacles. It was a rough year for my family, having lost a number of wonderful souls who will forever impact the way I live my life.

As 2011 comes to a close, I find myself walking toward 2012 with much hope, a positive attitude and a smile on my face. It’s going to be a great year!

So what about the resolutions, you might ask? Well, you’ll just have to swing by tomorrow for part 2, where I’ll outline my goals (thanks to all I’ve learned this past year) for 2012.

Love and blue skies!

Ashley

What I wish I knew

So I’ve been asked to write about what I wish I knew when I got my A-license – “transition from student to fun jumper” as it was so eloquently put. Honestly, that’s a big task because I still see myself as a student. I’m by no means proficient in any area of skydiving and dabbling in disciplines, though fun, does have a way of keeping progression in freeflying, belly flying, wingsuiting, etc at a bit of a slower pace.

On top of that, every skydive is a learning experience, so I’m a true believer in each and every jumper always being a “student” in the sport. Of course, I do understand the request, and I did a bit of polling of other skydivers so I can provide a heartier post than just spewing learnings from my own experiences.

Let’s start with the obvious:

Never stop thirsting for knowledge: If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you need to crave the learning experience. Skydiving is, at times, very fucking humbling. But, if you’re open to it, you can really learn something about yourself in the process. It’s not all about figuring out how to stick a sitfly and dock with your fellow jumpers – it’s deeper than that – having an open mind will allow you to take all that in.

Not only that, the thirst for knowledge helps keep things exciting and novel. Sure, I may not be the best belly flyer at 300 skydives, and by now I probably should have my head down dialed in, but I’ve enjoyed the learning experience that comes along with new disciplines. I like perfecting my canopy skills, I love jumping in a wingsuit for a fun flock, keeping things fresh helps me stay in that wide-eyed, giddy phase that most jumpers are in just off student status.

Be flexible: This one is two-fold. Physically, I can’t recommend enough that you stretch, do yoga, pilates, whatever you have to in order to stay flexible. Flexibility allows you more opportunity to manipulate the air in different ways – it gives you more options. And, it really does help you understand your own body a bit more.

Mental flexibility on the other hand, can be a bit of a challenge at times. A commitment to progress in the sport is important, but don’t be too rigid with yourself on what that progress looks like. For example, if you want to focus on your belly flying skills, that’s great. But don’t tell yourself you absolutely won’t freefly till you have X amount of jumps, because you never know when you might turn away a chance to jump with one of the best because of your rigidity. Ebb and flow with the opportunities that come your way – even goals have a way of finding that flexible balance. Go with it.

Ask more questions: This is a great one from one of my fellow jumpers who is also a coach. Sometimes students are too timid to ask questions, but this is your chance. People expect it. When you’re on the ground, talk as much as you can to experienced jumpers. Blurt out any question that comes to your mind to your instructors and coaches. Get answers now. There’s no stupid question when you’re a student. But, when you have 100 jumps and you’re just now finding the courage to ask about basic canopy flight mechanics, you might get laughed off the dropzone, or worse, people will refuse to jump with you because they think you’re uneducated and not safe. Plus, knowing all you can as a student only preps you for being as safe a jumper as you can be once you earn that A.

Read, Watch, Admire: Dropzone.com, Blue Skies Magazine, Parachutist, blogs, YouTube videos – the list goes one. Soak up as much knowledge on your own as possible. Take opinions with a grain of salt, but listen to them regardless. This is how you’ll build on your own skills. Find time to read Brian Germain’s book, sign up for a canopy course stat, flip through the SIM if you’re bored one rainy afternoon. The more you can surround yourself with skydiving, the more knowledge you’ll have.

Ask for advice: Norman Kent in town and you’ve got a burning question – ask him. Been admiring Taya’s flocking skills from afar and run into her at a boogie – stop and say hi around the bonfire. Everyone is approachable (usually) as we’ve all been students at one point or another. Advice can come in all forms, but you’ll never get it if you don’t reach out and talk to those who inspire you.

Those are my top 5 at this point – that’s enough out of me. Any other advice from all you fun jumpers out there?

Blue ones!

Ashley

Just being yourself

It seems these days that so many people out there are trying desperately to be somebody, but I can’t help to wonder if it’s really so bad to just want to be me…

In times of loss there appears to be a lingering clarity of the mind, one that has the potential to help you see the type of life you want to lead. This happened with the passing of my grandmother back in June and I’m feeling that same sense again this week after attending another family funeral service.

Too often people live their lives for others – and I’m not referring to those who spend their days devoted to their families. Those who choose that path have found great satisfaction and fulfillment in committing to a partner and raising a happy, healthy family. This is nothing but admiral in my book.

What I mean is, we seem to be in an age where everyone wants to be famous – to be known for being the best in their field. Whether it’s skydiving or BASE jumping or their career, everyone wants to be the expert, and they want the world to know it and praise them for it. There are even people who are willing to become someone else, to take on a persona, in order to gain that publicity. I can’t help but wonder what’s so wrong with being yourself.

(Note: for some who haven’t been following along, I may appear hypocritical here, as I’ve been criticized in the past for trying to be “THE Skydive Chick.” But for any who know me, you’ll know I’m far from an expert and am here simply to share my thoughts and opinions, in the skydiving world and beyond. And please, call me Ashley.)

I know I’ve discussed this before in the context of skydiving, but I’m a big believer in embracing who you are. This isn’t to say that you can’t spend your days trying to become a better person, but you shouldn’t have to sacrifice what you believe in, and live a life that’s not completely supportive of those beliefs in order to become someone that others can look up to. It just seems to me that there are more people out there trying to be someone that they’re not so that others will talk about them and know who they are, rather than embracing who they are and living their lives for themselves.

Maybe that makes me different, not wanting to be all famous and stuff. We’ve all been asked that question: “if you could be rich or famous, which would you choose?” and hands down I’d choose rich. Who wouldn’t love to have all the money they want at their disposal. Fun trips, as much skydiving as you want, being able to work because it’s something you truly love doing rather than for the need of the paycheck, or even spending your free time volunteering. At the end of the day, you’ve lived your life for you, helped others where you can and you get to go home and live your life peacefully. Sounds pretty fab, right?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to judge. If people want to be known, to spend their lives striving to prove that they are the person they want everyone to think they are, then more power to them. As long as you’re not hurting me or those that I love along the way, you’ve got my thumbs up. But I do think there’s something to be said for living life on your own terms. Being who you want to be. Finding and living up to your own values. That seems like the epitome of a fulfilling life.

Then again, I’m just a 20-something skydiver trying to live my life with passion and understanding while sharing my thoughts with y’all over here in my little corner of the Universe – what do I know?

So I pose the question to y’all, is there something so wrong about just wanting to be me?

Love and Blue Skies!

Ashley

Always learning

Even though it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been in the air, skydiving continues to teach me a thing or two.

I’m one of those people who will watch videos and read articles on skydiving (and any other adrenaline sport for that matter) any chance I get. I’m also the girl who waits not-so-patiently by the mailbox for the latest issue of Blue Skies Magazine and Parachutist every month. What can I say, I’m an adrenaline and words junkie.

I also do my best to keep in contact (though not as close or as often as I’d prefer) with those members of the community who made an impact on my life. These are the people who continue to show me the skills – both in the sky and on the ground – that it takes to be the skydiver I want to be.

What I have noticed is that, even though I’m not getting into the air as regularly as I’d like, skydiving continues to teach me about the person that I want to be – and honestly, about the person I don’t want to be.

This sport filled a huge hole in my life that I didn’t know existed until that first jump. It showed me what it means to be passionate about something. More than that, it showed me what it means to be passionate about life – all aspects of life. In the last year and a half I’ve gone from excited student to obsessed newbie to balls to the wall traveler to happy, content me. There was a point where I looked at what I was doing in skydiving and said, “you know, I love this sport, but I’m not willing to sacrifice who I am to be this badass freeflyer” or whatever it was I was going for. Surprisingly, skydiving has shown me how to appreciate all the non-skydiving things in my life a little more than I ever did.

Believe it or not, skydiving has also had this way of humbling me a bit.

HUH?!

I know it sounds bizarre, given that most skydivers you meet are more than happy to talk only about how great they are and they’ll show you their videos for hours even when you clearly don’t care. I’ll be the first to admit I had this same mentality at one point as well, but when you step back and notice these people you call your friends and dz family, and all you hear is them rambling on and on about themselves and criticizing others, it doesn’t paint the prettiest picture of our community – the one we’ve grown to cherish so much.

This is something I didn’t fully realize until I visited dropzones and attended events where the atmosphere was different, where the people I was interacting with were some of the badassest around, but you’d never know it from talking with them.

These are the people that truly make an impact on our sport. It’s not the skygods, or the people who are obsessed with the videos of themselves and their friends in the sky. It’s the people who make each moment and jump special for the people around them. The only way to describe it is a generous spirit. These are people that don’t have to try to be the people they are, they’re not going out of their way to help others or to be extra nice and welcoming, they just are – it’s their nature. You can’t help soaking in some of that positive energy just by being around people like this.

And of course, this goes beyond skydiving, but it’s at the dropzone where ideas like this have solidified themselves in my brain. One more lesson learned from skydiving. How has skydiving taught you about the type of person you want to be?

Love and blue skies!

Ashley

I’d rather be skydiving – relaxing edition

This weekend was the first official non-skydiving weekend of the year. At first I was looking forward to it, then come Saturday morning I have to admit I was a bit bummed. Sure, I got to lounge around and catch up on some much needed relaxation, and laundry, but I was really wishing I could be in the air.

It’s been a few weeks – which until this point, is the longest period of time I’ve gone without a skydive. Though I’ve felt plenty of adrenaline lately, none of it is nearly as freeing as exiting the otter.

There are no plans for a winter trip in my immediate future…I’ve adopted this whole live one day at a time philosophy, and honestly I’m loving every second of that. Even talking with the family about Christmas plans makes me uncomfortable – it seems just too far away to worry about right now.

I do love that skydiving has taught me how to do this. For those that may not know it, this sport goes beyond just jumping out of airplanes, packing up and doing it all over again. There’s so much to learn about yourself and the life you want to live, if you’re open to it. In the recent weeks off I’ve had a chance to really sit back and absorb all that I’ve learned from skydiving and the surrounding community. I’ve been blessed to have met so many incredible people who, whether they know it or not, have taught me about myself too.

Though I still haven’t learned how to comfortably sit and do nothing. It’s during those times that I really, truly miss being in the air. Hmm…maybe I will start thinking about a winter trip after all…any suggestions?

Love and blue skies!

Ashley

How Skydiving Changed My Life

This is one of my favorite columns in Parachutist Magazine and one of those things I make time to read in every issue. Some of these people have incredible stories of how they got into the sport and how being a skydiver has completely changed their lives.

Looking back over the year and change that I’ve been a part of this sport and a part of the community, I can add myself to that list of people who feel like their lives have been completely turned upside down since skydiving entered their life. I can also say that my life has changed for the better, and in some ways, I feel like it saved me.

Though my story is sort of ho-hum when you look at those featured in Parachutist, so instead of submitting to the magazine, I thought I’d share right here on the blog .

For those who have been following along since day 1, this may not come as much of a surprise, but for those who have picked up in the middle, you might pick up a thing or two about my journey in this crazy world of skydiving.

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Skydiving has changed my life in so many ways, it’s hard to know where to begin. I suppose I’ll start at the beginning (that would make sense…right?).

In my early 20s all that mattered to me was my career. My friends from college were scattered across the country and none of us were making enough money yet to visit each other, so rather than spend time building a new life, I spent it behind a computer, working my way to the top. My efforts did not go unrewarded. Promotions happened frequently and I earned my position in social media marketing through hard work and dedication to my company and my clients.

No regrets there. I worked hard for my successes and am proud of where those efforts have taken me. But something was missing. I wasn’t passionate about my life. I got up in the morning because I knew I had to in order to get ahead, in order to pay the bills, in order to save enough money to take trips to see my friends that I missed so dearly. I worked hard to find myself again, blogging about life and the “adventures” I had meeting new people and traveling for work, but in the end, these corporate trips were not sufficiently scratching the itch that the travel bug was constantly giving me. So 3 years into my career I took my first real vacation, one in which I made my first skydive, and had my eyes opened to what life really has to offer – what it means to truly be alive. It showed me what I was missing, that there’s more to life than getting ahead in the corporate world, that life needs more facets than just career success.

Skydiving presented a new personal challenge, and a new challenge is just what I needed…something to keep me on my toes, something to remind me that I’m alive! It showed me just how strong I am, just how much I am capable of overcoming – it showed me that I can do just about anything I set my mind to. Never did I imagine that I would learn so much about myself in such a small amount of time. Skydiving freed my soul from the confines of those things that are proper in life, the boundaries and the you shoulds that are forced upon you throughout your childhood and into your adult life. Skydiving showed me that you never really have to grow up!

Though it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, let me tell you that. Skydiving presented some hard lessons along the way too. I quickly learned what it means to not be invincible, that bad things can happen to anyone if you get complacent. These lessons presented themselves in the sky and on the ground. The community surrounding the sport taught me the importance of heightened awareness – keep your eyes and heart open, be prepared for the unexpected, you never know when a fellow jumper might make that wrong turn under canopy, but you might be surprised with whom you make deeper connections. For me, I was able to meet, fall in love with, and get engaged to my best friend and the love of my life because I was involved in skydiving and open to new experiences. I’ve also been able to meet and connect with a number of incredible skydivers with hearts larger than even SkyGod’s ego. Experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world!

Above all else, skydiving has taught me the importance of being a part of something greater than myself. It’s shown me how critical the community around you is to your well-being. There needs to be a sense of trust and understanding with those whom you share the sky. As skydivers, we inherently understand what makes each other tick, our common bond is one that the majority of the world will never understand. I’ve found that this sense of togetherness is strengthened when the community joins to support a cause that goes beyond that of the individual skydiver and truly tugs at your soul. Coordinating Jump for Diabetes this year gave me a glimpse of the immense generosity of the individuals within the skydiving community. It was so incredibly heart-warming to see so many manufactures, skydivers and their family and friends come out to support a cause that is greater than all of us combined. It speaks volumes about the type of people the sport attracts, and further solidifies why I continue to be drawn to the skydiving community.

What all these lessons from the world of skydiving have in common is this: be passionate. Having passion for something, anything (whether it’s skydiving, or tending a garden, or raising a family, or a multitude of life’s treasures) makes life fulfilling. Passion gives you something to live for, it provides motivation, it gives you a better sense of who you are as a person; a living, breathing human being who is on this Earth for a reason. Since I started skydiving little more than a year ago, I’ve found that I live my life with purpose. There are numerous facets of Ashley that I’m proud to admit have all become priority – friends, family, travel, career, new experiences, photography, writing, health & wellness, and of course, skydiving – these are all things for which I have great love and passion. Skydiving continues to teach me about the person that I want to be, and one step at a time it’s helping me get there.

So tell us dear readers, how has skydiving changed your life?

Love and Blue Skies!

Ashley

Breaking out of the comfort zone

As skydivers, one thing we learn early on is that, in order to improve, you’ve gotta step out of your comfort zone. I mean, hello, skydiving in itself is stepping out of that zone…that’s part of the whole point, is it not?

Though I do have to admit, there have been times while freeflying where I get into this comfort zone and tend to stay there. This happened the first time when I really got my sit down and didn’t want to mess it up by trying to move. So I didn’t. I stayed. Forward penetration and sideways movement to get to the group just wasn’t a priority. I had this sit, and I knew how to make it work, and I wasn’t going to do anything that could potentially mess that up.

Then, one day I went up with Sporto and he flew circles around me (literally) as I hung out in this rigid sit. Back on the ground he was like, “breathe, relax, smile and do something.”

He went on to tell me that I’ve got the fundamentals, I just need to put them in motion, start moving, start docking, and if you cork in the process, you cork, but just hanging out doing only what works will never help you improve.

Good point, Sporto! So I took it to heart. I did a lot of zoo dives with 4-5 other freeflyers and it taught me how to move! It was no longer a knee lock exit into relative sit where Rick and I just stare at each other – it was time to stand to get down to the group, push my hips forward and get moving!

I’ve noticed this same thing with docking. There are times where, my concern of “ruining” the jump overtakes my knowledge that, if I reach forward, I should move my other arm up or back to keep balanced. These are things I know, but they’re out of that precious little comfort zone, and it can be difficult to move past it.

After jumps like this, Rick and I can’t help but laugh at each other – we should have just gone for it. And if we cork, at least my video camera can show us visual evidence of what went wrong.

I’m sure other skydivers out there have experienced this… right? I mean, in the end, we’re all working to get out of our comfort zone, whether it’s taking that first step out the door, learning another discipline, playing with front riser turns under canopy…whatever it is, aren’t we all struggling to get comfortable with the unfamiliar?

One of the things I’ve heard a lot lately is from students/recent A licensers who are having issues with landing. Whether it’s finding your flare, setting up a landing pattern, standing up landings, or even just not landing off, these issues too can stem from being outside your comfort zone, and all of these things can be perfected with practice.

I’ve come to learn that having the attitude that,”I’m going to do this for myself,” really helps you get to that point. Trying to prove something to others only puts additional pressure on the situation, but if it’s something you really want, then make it happen for you. Besides, you can’t let little slip ups be the death of you, especially in front of others. From time to time we all cork, we all have a messy landing, we all have off days – even the best skydivers out there! So if you take out a formation and it gets caught on video, or you slide in a landing and catch a dry spot only to land it on your hands and knees in front of the entire DZ (like I did this weekend…oops), not to worry, because someone else is likely to do something else stupid in the near future. Then it can be your turn to rib them for it!

My two cents – take it or leave it.

Anyway – that all leads me back to this: step out of your comfort zone. Do something that scares you (and if that means making that first skydive, then what are you waiting for?), test out those front riser turns the next time you’re under canopy with time to kill – above 2,000 feet, give those freefly skills another try. Whatever it is that makes you nervous, do it…safely.

You might just surprise yourself with what you’re capable of – and you may even learn a thing or two along the way.

Blue skies!

Ashley

Sydney: Unfiltered

Okay, so as I mentioned on Facebook earlier this week, all my posts from July are gone. Bummer! But, since this week is uber busy with work, I’m taking the very rare spare time I have to recreate these posts. First, I’ve got the ever important interview with the lovely Sydney!

So clearly you can see why I love her….she compliments me! Ha, obviously it goes way beyond just that. She’s a badass skydive chick, what’s not to love, right?! Be sure to check out her blog over at Sydney: Unfiltered. What, you didn’t think I came up with that catchy title all on my own, did you?

And as a little update since the last time I posted this interview, Syd and some of her pals from CSC will be headed out  for Jump for Diabetes weekend, in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS! Woot!

In case you hadn’t heard, we’re planning high altitude jumps from the King Air that will be coming in to support that weekend. It’s going to be EPIC .

Love and Blue Skies!

Ashley

Summer heat and skydiving

This is one of those “learn from my mistakes” kind of posts. Don’t let this happen to you!

Remember growing up and having your mother preach to you about staying hydrated on those long, hot summer days?

Yeah, so do I. And I wish I would have listened closer.

This weekend was a busy one at the dropzone – between milestone celebrations, demos and packing in the heat, there were enough distractions to make me forget about eating and drinking properly.

And I paid for it dearly yesterday with a trip to the emergency room. Chills, muscle spasms, dizziness, increased heart rate and chest pains – not a good combination! I wasn’t about to wait the 4+ hours they were anticipating to get me in, so after speaking to a nurse who suggested I was “just” extremely dehydrated, I took her advice, bought some Gatorade and headed home.

Sure enough within a few hours of guzzling the electrolyte-enhanced sports drink my symptoms were starting to subside.

So after a miserable day yesterday I’m doing my best to quench my thirst before it arrives.

Lesson learned: sometime you just need to stop and take care of yourself – especially on hot days at the dropzone. Proper nutrition and hydration are extremely important – not just in sports, but in life. If you’re not consistently careful, it’ll catch up with you…trust me!

From now on, I’ll be sure to have extra sports drinks on hand….you should too!

Blue skies!


Ashley