Jump In! Act to Succeed

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One summer, while I was in college, I got a job as a lifeguard. Thinking I would have an easy summer job and get to work on my tan all summer, I took the registration class and went looking for a job.

I found one at a summer Christian camp working at the lake. I was the guy at the end of the water slide that yelled and made sure that campers came up after going under the water at the end of the slide.

Everything was going really well until about my third week in. That week, some campers came in that obviously had little swimming ability. Tuesday of that week, I was at my lifeguarding post by the water. At the top of the slide, I saw a boy that was about 10 years old. He went down the slide, yelling and laughing the entire way… until he hit the water.

On impact, the boy’s life jacket came shooting over his head and he panicked! He was flailing his arms and yelling as he fought to keep his head above water. Being the lifeguard, I jumped in and got him.

That day, I learned that action is the only way to success.

The only way the boy was going to be helped was by me jumping in the water… by me moving to action.

In a world that often talks faster than it’s willing to do,

I want to be a person of action.
I want to move and impact the people around me.


Comments

8 responses to “Jump In! Act to Succeed”

  1. Wow! Great story!

    1. Thanks man. Scary story but at least it taught me something. :)

  2. Action required.

    How many times are we confronted with an idea or decision that we haven’t prepared for – and failed to act? We should expect to do something. Great post, great illustration!

    1. Thanks. Yeah. I’d say we fail to act just as much if not more than actually doing something.

  3. I recently read Love Does by Bob Goff and plan to do a series of posts on it. He supports all that you say here Jonathan. Good post.

    1. I’ve heard a lot of good things about that book. Gonna have to check that out. Thanks as always, Bill.

  4. Jean Marcus Avatar
    Jean Marcus

    Wow!!! That was so great what you did. If you couldn’t have jumped that boy’s life will properly have been in danger. Sometimes we just gotta jump in action.

  5. I had a few friends who were lifeguards in high school. It was pretty boring except for the few moments of terror when a kid went under. Never lost one though.

    Way to go, Jonathan.

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