ADVICE
Sensory Overload— Jumping in Feet First by Michael Martuza, Consultant, The Franchise Consulting Company
I
will often bring up the term “sensory overload” when discussing the franchise search process. “Sensory overload”is a state during which the rational/thinking part of the brain becomes so overloaded with new/ unfamiliar stimuli that it forgets, or is unable to, perform seemingly simple tasks. This state can cause us to make poor short-term decisions that can have lasting consequences. Let me tell you about one of my ‘sensory overload’ experiences. While in my mid-20’s I started to engage in some adrenaline producing activities; the first being skydiving. A bit of background. At some point since the time of my first jump the industry decided that letting novices skydive solo was not a good idea, so now they harness novices to a very qualified jumper and allow that expert to control the descent while the novice enjoys the ride. This harnessing concept was not used when I made my first jump; it was just me, the parachute and a one-way radio. At the start of the day I paid the fee and signed a waiver absolving the business of any and all liability, up to and including packing my parachute with kitchen utensils a la Wile E. Coyote in the Road Runner cartoons. They actually used this example while explaining the waiver. To prepare for the end of day jump I, along with the other
58
members of this first-time jumpers group, repetitively practiced a variety of procedures that every skydiver needs to know; basic procedures for when everything goes according to plan, and what corrective measures to take if the plan goes awry. The hours upon hours of practice was supposed to make these procedures second nature. I didn’t find any of these practice exercises to be difficult and was told by the instructors that I was doing very well. At the end of the day the plane took me up to about 4000 feet, from which I would make my jump. When it was time to jump I was to step out of the door putting my left foot on
FEBRUARY 2020 | WWW.FRANCHISEJOURNAL.COM
the step we used to enter the plane, leaving my right foot/ leg dangling in the breeze. To keep f rom getting blown off of the step, I was to hold onto the wing support bar and wait for the jump-master to give the ‘Go’ command. At ‘Go’ I was to jump backward and lay out, spreadeagle, face down employing all of those practice exercises that were now theoretically second nature. I was supposed to count to five (one Mississippi, two Mississippi, etc.) at which time I should feel a slight tug on my shoulders from the opening parachute. I was to look up and make sure that there were no problems with tangled lines, etc. If there was a problem, I had practiced the proper
