Driving question: How do the choices we make set our future path?

Big ups lads, and welcome back to the internets favourite blog. 

I’m just gonna cut straight to the chase;

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the PLP 9s were sent to Loon Lake Lodge and resort (dun dun DUN). 

Ha, just kidding, it was actually very nice. 

We were carpooled to the lodge on November 27th, about an hour from our homes. I was shoved into Alex Kings car, along with our concussed friend, Jonah. We arrived- later than everyone else- and were sprung into action with out first activity, a big circle on the field. The week went smoothly, apart from a few slight mishaps, but, smooth nonetheless.

Over the course of the trip, we worked on a physical booklet, with help from our leader, and founder of Pinnacle Pursuits, Jono.

The book covered a variety of subjects including our hobbies, interests, self talk, leadership, and many more. 

Jono was an extremely smart, knowledgeable guy, and had amazing insight. I’m extremely grateful for the entire Pinnacle Pursuits team we had on our trip, especially B-Fish Brandon- the legend. 

Alright, I know what’re you’re thinking. “Nikan, what was the most liberating experience you had? When did you almost die?”. Well, I bring you to…. The trust falls. (If you weren’t thinking that, uhh, that’s too bad.) 

Alright, on day 2, we tried our hands at “small” trust falls. Basically, you stand in a circle of 5-6 people, with one in the middle. The person in the middle becomes a noodle, and just starts falling. If the person falls towards you, you gently push them to someone else. Imagine the fella in the middle is really stinky, and everyone pushes them away. That’s how it worked.

Somehow, I struggled falling and pushing. 

When pushing, I kept not trusting myself to catch the person, and backing up a bit. And when falling, I trusted my peers to catch me, but I still wouldn’t let myself fall. Afterwards, I felt utterly embarrassed and sorry for my group mates for my lack of support. Just wait until the big trust falls…..

On day 4, we did big trust falls. Someone would stand on a chair standing on a table – standception- 6 people would be ready to catch them and the bottom, while other people hold the table and chair in place. I was a catcher the whole time, and thought I did fine. I caught people. Which was my job. 

But then, it was my time to fall. I creeped on top of the chair, and waited. My mind started racing, and my heart starting beating at the speed of a metal song. My anxiety disorder was coming in clutch. I sounded my calls, “Spotters ready- may I fall?”. I was replied with a “Ready to fall”. I crossed my arms and…… didn’t fall. Jono realized my discomfort, walked over, and gave me a pep talk. He told me that everyone here is ready to catch me, and all I need to do it fall as sturdy as possible. I call again, nothing. I call for a 3rd time, and down I go. Unsurprisingly, I was flawlessly caught by my trustworthy peers. After I fell, I gained an appreciation for every single one of my classmates. They all went up and did it, and so did I. I realize the courage it took to stand there, and the courage it took to fall. While I was up there, my mates kept yelling positive things like “you got this” or “go for it”, which really pushed me. Everyone after me, I made it a goal to tell them something positive. It worked for me, so it’ll work for them. 

This tied into my transfer goal at the end of the week. I want to be more positive and encouraging to others. I realized that it left an impact on me, and I’d love to do the same for someone else. 

And finally, the driving question. “How do the choices we make set our future path?”

Before hockey games, the coach will sometimes say “go out and set the tone”, meaning, start with energy, and, well, set the tone for the game. I kinda see early life like this. Negative childhood, negative adulthood, and vice versa. Not always the case though. Some people are great at flipping negatives (ex. Abusive parents, poverty, etc.) into positives, and use them to grow. 

But in terms of choice making, bad choices will always come back to bite you later in life. 

Alright, love, take care, i’ve been Nikan.