Deana's take on Commitment versus Fear

Last summer, Perry, his daughter (Courtney) and I went to Toronto to visit family. Both Courtney and I (being the avid roller coaster lovers that we are) decided that a day at Canada's Wonderland was absolutely necessary. Perry (being the good sport that he is) came with us despite his fear of heights. Turns out it was great to have him there to hold onto our purses for us while my step-daughter and I spent the day riding the many roller coasters the park has to offer.

Canada's Wonderland is the home of the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Canada (the Behemoth), one can see it from miles away. On route to the park in the morning when we saw the roller coaster, I made the decision that I was going to ride the Behemoth by the end of the day. That was my commitment. Courtney agreed to ride it with me. It didn't make any sense to come all this way and not ride the tallest roller coaster in Canada. As we got closer and closer, the Behemoth got bigger and bigger as did our fear.

Once we got there, I was so scared and excited that I wanted to ride the Behemoth first in order to conquer my fear and enjoy the rest of the day, Courtney did now share this line of reasoning. She thought that it would be better to start with the smaller coasters and work our way up to the Behemoth. It literally took me all day go get her to commit to go on the ride.

Once we made it to the front of the two hour line up, we began to get really scared. We decided that we did not want to be near the front of the roller coaster, and we did not want to be separated, at which time the young man called us to our seats in the second row of the ride with about a three foot gap between us and nothing in front of us. We were then strapped in and ready for take off, we were now at the point of no return, we were committed.

As we began our 250 foot painfully slow ascent into the sky (or so it seemed), the fear of the inevitable 75 degree descent at 125 km/h which was soon to follow was overwhelming. As we reached the top of our climb, I remember seeing Courtney tug at her harness while she yelled out "I want to get off, I don't want to do this!".

It made me really appreciate why these rides must be equipped in ways so that the passengers cannot undo the harnesses that strap them in. Imagine how many deaths there would be everyday if people had the ability to go back on their commitment due to their fear.

If we allow it, fear can stop us from reaching our goals every time. Only until we are truly committed, 100%, strapped in, point of no return, can we conquer the fear and reach our goals. True commitment beats fear every time.

Of course the end result of our Behemoth ride was that not only did it end safely, but the second time around the track, Courtney had her hands up in the air smiling and laughing the whole way. Mission accomplished, fear a distant memory!