Saving a Life in an Instant.

There are a few variables that are more pronounced in this life than life or death. Either you are alive or you are not. Either you are pregnant or you are not.

One man in Washington state made a quick decision that is allowing someone to celebrate today with friends and loved ones instead of being mourned by them.

My son Alex and a few friends were swimming at a reservoir in upstate Washington. They were cliff jumping, swimming, and playing in a beautiful public water area. While Alex and his friends were relaxing a top of 20 foot cliff, he noticed a man bobbing in the water. Alex had taken rescue swim training prior to starting basic training for the United States Navy and he recognized that this man was drowning. (Drowning does not look like it does in the movies).

Related: Do You Know What Drowning Looks Like?

Alex made a snap decision, jumped off of that cliff and started swimming toward the man who was flailing and trying to keep his head above water. It was about a 100 yard swim in the crisp and cool water of that reservoir, and Alex dove down into the murky green water near where he last saw the swimmer.

He saw a perfectly still body sinking to the bottom. He pulled the victim up to the surface, just as he had been taught in his training with the Navy and started swimming 150 yards to the nearest shore.

Alex noticed many other people swimming and playing. This guy was not swimming alone. As he was being towed to shore, the victim started to choke and cough up water. Aside from my son being covered in vomit from the guy resuscitating himself, everyone ended up okay.

It is in a split second of action that can make all the difference in your life.

When we think of training, we picture a long, drawn out process. While extensive training is required for many things, the decisions you make happen in an instant.

Commit to constantly growing and trying new things.

If you’re not growing, you are dying. You must continue to grow to develop. When people sit too long, when they’re too stagnant, their muscles will atrophy and they become unusable. If people don’t use their minds, they will wither away. 

Your destiny is shaped second by second.

It is usually in the split seconds of decision that pivot us in a new direction, forces to embrace a new challenge and allow us to learn, to grow and to live.