Welcome to the second edition of “I wish I had done that”. Every Wednesday I will share with you a little bit of inspiration from the past or present to help you get over that mid week hump. All you have to do, is sit back grab a coffee and have a read.

So this week I wanted to share with you something that started with a few rumours about 8 years ago. 8 years ago a project was whispered in every corner of the world that was so ambitious, so big and so daring that the rest of the world thought it was exactly that, a rumour. 

It wasn’t, it was the birth and the beginning of a 2 year journey where a brand committed to making something unforgettable happen. This is why I love this piece as the brand believed they could do this because at their core as a company this is who they were and what they stood for.

Introducing Red Bull Stratos. Mission to the edge of space.

A project which was destined to fail from the beginning. Day after day they faced complications. From the law suits, to explosions, failed balloons, flat spins and broken bones and finally the enivitable budget constraints. Failure was around every corner.

And what I love about this was the continual belief they had in making this idea happen. The entire team kept pushing through, yes it took them 2 years to achieve their dream but think about it so have some of our campaigns we have done.

Most importantly they didn’t let anything stop them, they pushed on and kept solving problem after problem to get to that day, the 14th October 2012.

The day, the entire planet seemed to stop. 

Everyone in every corner was glued to a screen, whether it be on their laptops with live telemetry or on whichever news channel you could find. Everyone, everywhere was talking and watching this event unfold live in front of us and brought to you in high definition from the edge of space.

It was historic.

Then the moment, the door opened and Felix Baumgartner stood at the edge of space, just remember that visual. Him standing there at the edge of space in his capsule that has protected him over the 2 years and taken this little boy with a big dream to it’s finality.

What a story, it had everything going for it. The dream, the danger, failure, excitement, anticipation and the belief to make it happen. Finally to be there standing at the edge of greatness with just one thing left to do.

Leap.

There was a moment, he paused and he addressed the world that was listening below him,

“I wish you could see what I can see…

Sometimes… you have to get up really high… to understand how small you are.

I’m coming home now.”

Then he jumped.

The world fell silent. Not a single breath was exhaled and nails were being bitten at a rate never seen before. It was the perfect moment, perfect entertainment of how we as humans can push the limits and keep pushing the limits, all we have to do is believe and take that leap. 

What was achieved that day was historic. The entire planet viewed an event brought to you by a brand that believes in doing whatever it can to help it’s athletes push their boundaries and achieve their greatness. 

And how did they film this, oh they just partnered with the best action camera ever, GoPro who live and breath adrenaline and making sure wherever you are on this planet, or off it doing your thing, they help capture it. Perfect.

On that day, Felix Baumgartner not only broke the sound barrier with nothing more than gravity but he did it 65 years after Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in his Bell X-1 under full power. Not to mention all the other records broken by this historic jump one being replacing the great Joe Kittinger’s record, he had set 52 years before.

That’s why I love this idea, not only is it a great story and a perfect brand fit. But it reminds me that when you have a dream, an idea and a strong belief in your idea, you can make it happen. You just have to do one thing.

Be brave enough to take that leap.

“I wish I had done that” - Gary