My love of sports has taught me a lot throughout life; how to win graciously, how to work with others, and most importantly, how to fail upwards.There has never been a sport that I didn't quickly get the hang of. Growing up, I swam, skateboarded, danced, coached tennis, and was the captain of my high school's soccer, basketball, and softball teams. And while I didn't have the access or the funds to go skiing, it had always piqued my interest.
At the start of April, I traveled to Lake Tahoe to go skiing for a friend's birthday. The group's skiing abilities ranged — one friend, a current ski instructor in Sun Valley, Idaho, had spent her winter teaching kids 3-8 how to ski and bombing down backcountry trails in her free time and the rest of the group comfortable skiing blue runs. Only ever having skied once before, I spent the days before watching how-to YouTube videos and practicing shifting my weight while in "pizza" .
I spent the majority of the day on the bunny hill, practicing my turns in solitude, aware that I was not yet ready to join my friends on their runs. After lunch, I had built up enough confidence to try my first green. At the top of the mountain, I quickly realized that I was in over my head. The next hour was a blur of fear, fatigue, and frustration — finishing in tears. I came off the slopes ready for a beer and thankful I no longer had to be pizza'ing.
When I returned home, I jotted down lessons I head learnt during my day on the slopes. Some specific to skiing and others applicable to life and business:
Take risks and be less scared. The bad outcome is usually not nearly as bad as you envision.
Focus on one turn at a time, don't get distracted by skiers and snowboards flying downhill from behind you.
Practice patience and trust your gut.
Your skis will go where you look.
If things get out of control, sit down and breathe.
My ski "vacation" was a nice reminder that if I'm not falling, I'm not learning. I'm excited to get back up there and keep working to get better.