Sometimes It's Better to Leave by the Window than the Door

There he was, my 12-year-old son, climbing out a fourth story window and about to rappel down the outside of the building. I was on the ground watching as he discussed this with the fireman up there with him and watched as he gathered courage and emerged outside of the window and eased his way down. I was extremely proud and I have to admit my eyes teared up as I watched my son overcome his fear and do this.

I guess I should provide some context at this stage. My son was in the Fire Squirts Camp put on by the Novato Fire Department. Thankfully, he wasn't leaving a burning building. He was leaving the practice tower the firemen use. Still, four stories up is four stories up.

My son has had an issue with heights in the past. Hotel balconies aren't his favorite nor is walking by the railing on a raised walkway. The firemen told me that yesterday it took him 20 minutes to build up the courage to go out that window. Today, with about 100 people watching, it only took him about 2 minutes. He even turned, took his hand off the rope and waved at us below and gave the fireman in the window a fist bump before decending.

Sure, my son learned first aid and how to put out a grease fire this week. But, what he really learned was, "You can do this. You can do things you think you can't do even when your own brain is screaming at you to run away."

Seeing my son's courage to overcome one of his most significant fears has really inspired me to look at my own fears. What am I missing out on in life because I'm not willing to climb out the window and see what's below?

I've worked in jobs in the past for people who weren't very honest and, frankly, not very nice. I stayed in them too long because they gave me a title I wanted and pay for a comfortable lifestyle. I also stayed in them because I was afraid that, if I left, someone else might not give me that title and that comfortable lifestyle. What if I didn't have a business card with a title on it? How could I answer when someone asked me what I do?

Sure, good people were being laid off to prop up an internet stock price or increase a software company's valuation, but I still got to be "an executive." In retrospect, I should have moved on to the next chapter much earlier in these situations. It was time to get up, throw a rope out the window and rappel out of there. Granted, the highest office I've had in my career was only on the third floor so this is not as dramatic as it sounds.

Still, I hope my son has learned a life lesson today. I hope he learned the same lesson he taught me today. Don't let fear box you in. If you are in a situation where you can't find the door to opportunity, use the window.