Skydiving Is Contagious

My friend Mia went skydiving today.

Why?

Because she had two friends — Natalie and me — who already skydive. She’s heard us talk about it, seen our videos, and can feel our excitement through the stories we tell.

In Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals, Heidi Grant Halvorson explains a concept called goal contagion. Simply put, when we see someone we know working toward a goal, our brain can unconsciously adopt it as our own. If the goal looks exciting or meaningful, we start to imagine ourselves doing it and we’re more willing to take action.

That’s exactly what happened with Mia. She wasn’t chasing a world record or overcoming a lifelong fear of heights. She was chasing possibility. She saw us do it, thought "Maybe I can too", and then proved herself right.

Here’s the thing, goal contagion works in more places than just 13,500 feet above the ground. When we openly share our progress, push past our limits, and try something new, we give others permission to imagine themselves doing the same.

And sometimes, all someone needs is to see it’s possible.