INBOUND Bold Talks: Glenda Watson "Go Beyond: Stare Your Fear in the Face and Boldly Go for It!"

May I let you in on a little secret? I am terrified of heights. The mere thought fills me with panic. My stomach flips and my hands sweat. Can you relate? My husband, Darrel and I live on the third floor of our condo building. I can drive my scooter out onto our deck to enjoy the space without a problem. But when I stand up at the railing and look over I feel nauseous and entirely panicked. Taking this photo was challenging. I was certain the solidly built railing would collapse and I would crash down three stories. Do you know this feeling? For me, open heights are heart pounding, sweat producing and downright terrifying. With this intense fear, I was surprised by my secret thrill in watching other people zip line across downtown Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics. I thought they were crazy in an exciting heart pounding kind of way. I mentioned this to my friend Karen in an email. I have since learned that if you have a fear, you probably shouldn't mention it to anyone. One day your friend may entice, cajole or blackmail you to conquer it. Karen Hurd, Vancouver's former mayor with quadriplegia Sam Sullivan had zip lined a few days earlier. Somehow skipping the six to eight hour lineup. Karen, with three young kids in tow, trekked downtown to inquire if anyone could bypass the hours long line up or if that privilege was reserved for a sel connected few. She secured an appointment for us to go zipping 140ft above downtown crowds and traffic without the wait. Now that is a true friend I think. Thankfully our date with fate was only three days hence, enough time to put affairs in order, tell my beloved ones that I loved them, and endure a few nightmares about falling and splattering on unsuspecting people below. Upon hearing that ex mayor Sam, who is carried up to the zip lining platform in a sleeping bag by his Sherpa team, had done the zip line with the film crew and tower. I searched the Internet for video or at least photos for reassurance that this was indeed doable, but alas, found none. I did however come across a video of Canadian Paralympian and philanthropist for people with spinal cord injuries Rick Hansen and Canadian television personality Rick Mercer Bungee Jumping and Whistler, British Columbia. When you have a moment, watch it on YouTube. Search for Rick Hansen bungee Jump. It is absolutely hilarious. I figured if Rick Hansen can bungee jump and Sam Sullivan can do the zip line, then surely I can zip too. It is key for me to find other people in somewhat similar predicaments doing what I want to do when attempting to overcome my fear and take a challenge. My rational brain was trying hard to convince my scared brain everything would be okay, that several thousands of others had already done this zipline without incident. That the zipline company had a vested interest in ensuring I reached the other side safely without splatting on the ground and the unwary people below. Imagine a headline Disabled Woman Falls to Her Death at Popular Winter Olympic Attraction. Definitely not good for business. My cousin Craig came to town for the day to help me climb those 81 stairs. When he was handed a waiver to sign, he realized with surprise and trepidation he was about to do more than he anticipated. The look on his face was unforgettable. Once we signed our lives away, harnessing up was one situation where obsession with perfection seemed absolutely necessary. This was not the time to overlook a strap or a buckle and a helmet. If I plunged, at least my head was protected. Climbing up the tower took us a while. I was recovering from bronchitis and we were all out of breath by the second landing. We paused every two landings to catch our collective breath and to let others pass. Those 81 stairs took us 30 minutes to ascend. The thin fabric screen wrapped around the tower provided me a false sense of security as we climbed. It wasn't an open height. No need to be terrified, not yet. Besides, climbing the now endless tower of stairs kept my mind off of what was about to come. A distraction like that is a great way to ease fear. Upon reaching the summit and seeing the vast openness that was 140ft above the people, buses and cars, sheer terror quickly set in. I plunked down on an upside down milk crate to catch my breath and allowed a few other people to go ahead and experience their scared, spitless moment. Sitting on the overturned crate, my brain's two parts were still dueling it out. In that moment, I had two go back down the way we came, or face my fear and go beyond. Right there on that milk crate, the rational part of my brain. One I decided to allow myself to be terrified, but to keep going. Craig went first, so there was someone on the other side to help catch me. The staff told Craig it was acceptable to scream. He obliged as he zipped 140ft above the crowds. Then came my turn. While the staff calmly hooked my harness to the lines above, I was thinking, yes, I am terrified. This is the scariest thing I have ever done. But I can do it. I can push through my fears and survive. Hopefully they helped me down those four stairs to nothingness. And off I flew. All three of us reached the other side safely, I'm happy to report. You know, I kind of expected to have a life altering revelation upon my landing, but it did not happen. Not at that point. In that moment I felt greatly relieved I had not met my maker. That shift was to come later. To this day I continue to experience a ripple effect from that zip line adventure. My life has more Technicolor. I feel braver, bolder, much more likely to take risks. That is not to say I take stupid risks. There is a difference between this kind of fear and the fear where your little voice in your head screams get out of here. This is not safe. We all need to listen to that inner voice because it protects us from real danger. In the months following my scared spitless moment, I reassessed my work as a web accessibility consultant, making websites accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities. Web accessibility was an understandable career path for me, and there is still much left to be done in the field. But after 14 years, I felt so burnt out that if I had to explain the need for text descriptions of images one more time, I would stab my eyes out with a yellow HB pencil. Yes, a sharp, long yellow one. That defining moment gave me permission to switch my career direction entirely. And here I am today, a motivational speaker sharing my story with you. Me, a motivational speaker? Who would have guessed it? In high school, public speaking was my second least likely career choice. My absolute least likely choice was neurosurgery. Can you imagine me performing surgery on your brain? But with motivational speaking, I can get inside your mind using my well honed words rather than a scalpel. Much safer. More importantly, by facing my fear of heights and other fears I come across along the way, I now live a more fulfilling, more rewarding life. I feel completely aligned with what I am meant to do at this point in my life. Whatever your dream is, keep in mind that American author Neale Donald Walsh Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. It is okay if the mere thought of doing something is scary, even terrifying. Your power lies in facing your fear head on and going beyond. By ziplining across downtown, did I forever squash my fear of heights? Not a chance. The mere thought of approaching an open height continues to make me feel nauseous and anxious. Would I go ziplining again? Hell yes. Why? Because I discovered that I can live through my fear and go beyond. The other side is where the magic happens. It is where I feel the most alive. You can face your own fears and go beyond to strive for your potential. That's living life more fully. My wish for you is that the next time you are wavering on the edge of an opportunity, you stand, acknowledge your fear and boldly leap. In the process, you will discover passions, abilities or talents you don't yet know exist. Speaking about passions, I invite you to join me Thursday morning at 10am at Club Inbound, where I'll be signing my autobiography. I'll do it myself, that is tomorrow morning, immediately following Martha Stewart's keynote. Come on by and take a selfie with me. Be bold. Thank you. Sa.