I spent the last week skiing in the Australian alps (yes there are mountains with snow down under). Time in the mountains always give me perspective and clarity. It’s the combination of fresh air, time in nature, being in a complete state of mindfulness while skiing and spending quality time with my family without any distractions. This trip was no different and I came away with some valuable insights.
Prior to this trip (since January 2020), I’ve only had 7 days of skiing due to COVID, lockdowns, travel restrictions and a knee surgery. While I am as comfortable in skis as I am walking, I was a little rusty and dealing with an uncooperative knee and was skiing like Zoolander, only able to turn perfectly in one direction. So I spent the first few days practising my turns, running drills, and getting some coaching from my ski instructor. Feeling frustrated but I persisted and continued working on my weaknesses.
In the meantime, I was waiting for a powder day to try out my new skis which I bought recently. The new skis are faster, for more advanced skiers so I was rather apprehensive to try them out given the circumstances. The snow gods delivered on the last day, and we woke up to fresh snow, and like a kid on Christmas morning I got to play with my new toy.
I was mentally prepared for more difficult turns and potential falls but to my surprise (and delight), my turns were perfect, I was in top form and charged down the mountain like I owned it with a grin from ear to ear and clocking some serious speed.
As it turns out, I had outgrown my (beginner/intermediate) skis and they was no longer serving me. I was not able to ski to my potential and capability and kept working on my “weaknesses”.
Have you ever found yourself in this situation, perhaps outgrown a role or holding on to something that is no longer serving you? What’s holding you back?
”If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves”.
Thomas Edison
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