Does Skydiving Change Your Life? Here’s How It Changed Mine.

By Cecilia Malise

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” *Cringe*! I never had a specific goal in mind like everyone else seemingly had. But I can tell you what was never on my radar: being a skydiver! And yet, seven years into my journey, I work full-time in the skydiving industry! It’s an absolute dream-I-didn’t-realize-I-had come true. 

This is my skydiving story—it starts with what I thought would be a simple check on my bucket list and takes a sharp right turn into a pivotal experience. 

How Skydiving Changed My Life  

These days, I’m more often asked, “How did skydiving change your life?” The answer is short and sweet: in every way. A jump from a plane has enhanced my strengths, opened my eyes to things I’ve needed to work on, and motivated me to follow through on opportunities for self-improvement. I would never ask you to believe that skydiving can change your life without receipts … so, please allow me to give you the play-by-play. 

Skydiving has altered my life in five paramount ways, by teaching me: 

To just do it. 

Ya know when people talk about how they wish so badly that they could do something, but never seem to pull the trigger? Well … you actually CAN achieve those crazy dreams you have! 

The night before my 18th birthday, did the nerves let me get any shut-eye? Absolutely NOT. My mom and I trekked to the nearest dropzone to do my first tandem skydive – EEEK! If you have yet to experience your first jump, I will let you in on a little secret – walking through the doors of a dropzone is more intimidating than the jump itself. 

After a quick briefing and signing a bunch of papers I (#truthtalk) couldn’t care less about, it was time to go! Suddenly, I was crouched down on the step of a Cessna 182 at 10,000 feet, entering freefall! Little did I know that this single tandem skydive that took about 30 minutes of my life would change the entire trajectory. 

After another tandem (with Mom!), I quickly learned the sport was made up of just 13% women! I immediately signed up for a solo jump course. My instructor (Pecos) was kind, but as a retired Marine, undoubtedly intimidating. I did my first solo jump, static line style. After a particularly tumbly landing (seriously, how does anyone stand up on their first landing?) They said the best way to learn was to get right back in the saddle. My mom drove me back to the dropzone the very next morning and I was hooked!

For the first time I can remember, these beginning jumps made life seem black and white: I wanted to try skydiving, I loved it; I wanted to keep doing it, so I did. Put yourself out there, embrace the awkward, compliment people, humble yourself and apologize, and take accountability. We’ve only got one shot at this life and we shouldn’t waste it living unintentionally.   

To develop a deeper sense of compassion. 

I was presented with the opportunity to cross the pond and visit Ireland. Was it for Ireland’s awesome skydiving weather? Haha, hard no, but they do have absolutely incredible people. 

“Cecilia, how in the world did you manage to get to the Irish Parachute Club!? 

Thankfully, an English jumper named Wayne would regularly give me a ride from the city center of Dublin in the wee hours of the morning. I will never forget these initially awkward and eventually refreshing drives – or the accompanying ham jambons (IYKYK) – on the “wrong” side of the road through the Irish countryside. 

Did I once land so far off the dropzone that operations were shut down for nearly three hours and both planes were used to search for me? Yep. I succeeded greatly at being the “dumb American” and still, for no reason other than pure goodness, the dropzone donated a skydiving rig to me (!!) with the stipulation that I, too, would pass it along. Talk about good karma! But it was missing a critical component – an AAD (Automatic Activation Device) that I simply could not afford. 

Enter the scene: a lovely Russian man, Mikhail, who quickly became a great mentor. He told me, “I’ll buy you an AAD, and you can pay me back at £8 per month. That’s two coffees; can you handle that?” Mikhail also taught me how to pack a parachute. (I paid off the AAD last year.)

These acts of kindness made me realize that people can be good without expecting anything in return *mind blown*, and this holds true for every person I’ve met in the sport. Going to any dropzone and having my faith in humanity constantly revived has influenced me to be one of these good people for others. 

To embrace a mindset of thankfulness. 

Suspended a mile above the earth by strings and nylon, soaking in the golden hour, my soul feels full and thankful to God that I can DO THIS! This moment of quiet suspension is so surreal that it makes us feel like everything is simple, and this physical change in perspective seems to catalyze a mental shift that makes you thankful to be alive. I think this feeling is why skydivers joke that skydiving is cheaper than therapy! 

My dedication to this sport has also opened my eyes to how supportive my non-jumping friends and family are. It takes a lot to care about something you don’t understand solely because you care about the person who does it, and this has been revelatory in how I, too, value others. 

To be more yielding and grounded. 

Skydiving often defies our personal agendas (dang weather gods!), which highlights my struggle with adaptability. Skydives rarely go to plan and it’s important to be able to bounce back from disappointment. Hold up, I’m not talking about tandem skydiving – that is so controlled with a highly experienced instructor (which is why tandem skydiving is the best intro to the sport *wink wink*) – I’m talking about skydives planned between solo jumpers trying to nail a new skill. 

Learning never stops, setbacks will come, and pliability is critical in skydiving and life. Our problems on the ground seem pretty small from way up there, and this isn’t to invalidate the gravity of life, but rather put it into perspective: it’s really not that serious.

To allow myself to grow. 

We seem to have this belief that people can’t change their minds … LAME! Meeting new people and having new experiences should push us to form new opinions and grow! Skydivers are an eclectic (and fabulous) group of individuals. Had I never taken that first jump, some of my best friends may not be in my life, which fills me with so much gratitude. 

Would I have developed these traits at some point? Absolutely. But undoubtedly much later and most likely in less intense (and effective) doses. Skydiving has laid a path for me to develop into a person I am proud to be at 25. The most growth happens when we say yes to the uncomfortable or intimidating things in life. 

What Does Skydiving Do For You Mentally? 

We often have to consciously remind ourselves to live in the moment. But with skydiving, we would have to force ourselves to not be totally absorbed in the moment. Prayer is the only other thing that gives me this overwhelming feeling of escapism, and being able to experience this constantly (and alongside some pretty rad people) is straight-up life-changing. 

Skydiving slows my thoughts and gives me a sense of belonging in a sometimes lonely world. Home is where the jump plane is, and knowing that “home” exists in all corners of the globe is an indescribable feeling. 

Thanks for hanging out and allowing me to share my skydiving story. I hope you get to experience the freedom of human flight, too!

—

Are you ready to make your first skydive!? Book your jump today! Key West is considered one of the best places to skydive in the US – you’ll have none of the weather Cecilia had to contend with in Ireland! Let’s do this!!