I recently went to Kings Island amusement park with the kids. Beyond experiencing the thrill of $9 sodas and wicked awesome roller coasters, I learned a few things about professional development while I was there.

Some of you love roller coasters, and some of you hate them. I used to hate them, but now I love them. We rode Diamondback, the Vortex, Flight Deck, Flight of Fear, Firehawk, Drop Tower, the Monster, Delirium, and the Racer. We rode some of them multiple times. All were awesome in their own special way.

Several of them taught me a few things about overcoming fear, growing as a person, and thoroughly enjoying the thrill of it all. Allow me to share a few growth experiences along with some pointers you can take away from my experiences. I’ll do so via some ride recaps.

Drop Tower

Imagine sitting on a gigantic doughnut with your feet dangling. That doughnut is then hoisted straight up a tower that gives you a view of the entire park and the surrounding area. Then they drop that doughnut 315 feet straight down at 67 mph. Pro tip: Don’t eat right before this ride.

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