Photo Credit: kimiwerner.com
Have you ever seen someone with an incredible skill that you can’t imagine how it’s possible? We see these greats in sports – people who do the impossible repeatedly. People like the Michaels (Jordan & Phelps), Stephen Curry & Tom Brady. These athletes are usually quick-thinking and fast-moving and their stories are told every day through widely available video and sports networks.
Storytelling
One of the best gifts from social media is the storytelling of lesser-known but stellar people and their accomplishments. One of those people is a Hawaiian spearfisher named Kimi Werner. She is a freediver and can hold her breath for four minutes and forty-five seconds! She is a US National Spearfishing Champion, a chef, an artist, an environmentalist, and a speaker on the TED Talk stage.
Oh, she also rode a great white shark. In the wild. Without gear, a tank, or cage. If her diving partner weren’t there to film it, no one would believe this true tall tale.
In the Face of Fear
As a seasoned professional freediver and spearfisher, Kimi says that she understands marine animals and the importance of body language, so when the great white was swimming toward her, she knew that she had two choices: try to outswim the shark (we know how that ends!) or do just the opposite and swim towards it. And that’s just what she did. In doing so, she communicated to the shark that she was a predator and not a meal.
Slow Down
One of Kimi’s messages is summed up simply – When you feel the need to speed up, SLOW down. Learn to stay calm in stressful situations. Kimi learned from her father that the worst thing you can do is panic. Stay calm and think. Assess the situation, still your body, and figure out what to do.
Even in our regular oxygen-breathing world above the sea, it is easy to panic over situations from professional performance to personal conflicts. How much better are the outcomes in both when we slow down and think before we act? Breathe in. Breathe out. Ironically, breathing was not an option for Kimi while underwater, but the principles are the same. Override your fight or flight and take a beat – or two – before you react. Thank you, Kimi, for sharing your story and encouraging the rest of us to go towards what we fear, thoughtfully and bravely.
Do you have a story about staying calm in the face of panic? Share them with us. We learn from each other.
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