Byron Bay

Feb 8 Blog

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“The leader is helping others find their own success. There is plenty to go around. Sharing success with others is very successful.”

It seemed that everyone that worked throughout the dive shop had the mentality that they wanted to share their passion of diving and their knowledge of the aquatic life with our group. On my dive with Liz, I could see her passion for what she did under the water. Her excitement to share and show the aquatic life to us was exuberant; she was pointing out all sorts of small but vibrant snails I would have looked past and sea turtles I could barley see in the distance that would eventually make it our way. Her own reward was sharing her knowledge of the ocean with us, and that shows a leader that is truly passionate about what they are doing.

“Be still”

On our first into dive we were put in small groups of 4, again I ended up diving with Liz. Her calm energy underwater aloud for her to interact with the fish and the lion sharks. She would hold out her hand and the fish would come to her. She didn’t overwhelm them by coming up to them; her stillness would allow for them to come to her. It was a great experience to see this interaction. By being still you allow the things that are supposed to come to you to do so, weather this is aquatic life or even your own manifestations.

“Too much force will backfire”

People go through life within their own process. That process should not be forced it should be guided gently to be pushed outside the comfort area for optimal growth. Everything in life people go through at a different pace. When getting certified, during out last 2 dives the scuba instructors understood this process and did not force anyone who wasn’t ready to complete skills to do so. They we understanding and gave people the time they needed to develop their skills.

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“Stillness, clarity, and consciousness are more immediate than any number of expeditions into the distant lands of one’s mind.”

Being involved in outdoor activities you have to stay present in the here and now. You have to get out of the rambling of your own mind and become completely aware of your thought process in reaction to what is going on around you. I feel throughout this trip, I learned the most about becoming aware of my own thought process. I didn’t realize before this trip how much time I spent letting my mind travel off to distant lands and not allowing my mind to focus on the present. By becoming aware of the processes of your own mind you learn the about the determinants of what causes various emotions, weather its pure joy, anxiety or fear.

“Unclutter your mind… you will discover that the quality of your consciousness is more potent than any technique or theory or interpretation.”

 Learning to step back and becoming the observer in your own thought process is the first step in realizing the strength within the inner self. The more still I became, the more the universe would show me what I needed. When I would let my anxiety or fear of rock climbing overtake my mind I was unable to find the next holds, but when I became the observer of those feelings and centered myself again, I was able to push on.

“Water is fluid, soft and yielding. But what will wear away a rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard…. This is another paradox: whatever is soft is strong.”

There is no point to be a leader who is outspoken and constantly tells the group what to do. The best leaders allow the group to cultivate within their own process. I learned a great deal about letting the group do things the way in which they think is best. Working together on the same level produced the best results within our group. This is a lesson that is not learned easily but through trial and error. This is a lesson I hope to help guide outdoor education students reach. I have learned to just allow things to flow and to step back and observe and become aware of how they flow in the direction they do. 

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Personal styles of leadership determine what sort of outcome you want for the group. In certain aspects of leadership the use of authority is beneficial within facilitated activities such as tourist based adventure groups. In tourist activities it is important for tourists to understand the risks involved in the activity and the importance to listen to the guides for their own safety. On the other hand, when to comes to adventure education, I think that it is vital to give the students control over the situation. Students that are learning should be given the opportunity to take the role as the leader in order for their own personal development as an outdoor facilitator. My own style of leadership corresponds to this idea. I think that people should take responsibility to their own learning process and do not need to be told what to do.