Now that I was done chasing bears in Tennessee, it was time to travel northwest and get my ski on!
In order to test my progress as a potential Olympian, Ohio's foothills wouldn't be enough. I could have popped over to western PA or NY but if I truly wanted to master my skills I had to go where past Olympians have trained and even won gold. So I landed on the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics - Vancouver / Whistler, Canada.
Now I could have let my limiting beliefs (I've only skied outside of OH one time, I'm older and I'm becoming risk adverse, it's too hard to become an Olympian at age 52, etc) but that's just silly. As I've shared in the past, these are just beliefs and I have the ability to change my beliefs, my story, my narrative. So I pushed them aside, focused on the positive and started my research on the weather/skiing runs/conditions.
So this past Sunday, my son-in-law, Tyler, and I set out early to get a jump on the day and give ourselves time for as many runs (for those non-skiers - a run means going down a slope or trail suitable for skiing) as possible.
It's a beautiful start to the day and we are in the gondola headed up to our main base camp (~6,000 feet). We get off the gondola and the excitement for taking my first step to being an Olympian is overflowing.
We decide our first run should be one that will allow us to get familiar with the terrain and our new equipment. So instead of double black (most difficult runs), we decide should go with a blue run (runs in order of difficulty - double black, black, blue, green). So we look at the blue run from the top...ok maybe we should start with green. It's all good. We've never been on the mountain and the visibility isn't great so let's ease ourselves into it. We have 2 years to be ready for 2026 Milan-Cortina (Winter Olympics) so no need to rush.
So we settle on a combined green run - Expressway to Sunset Blvd to Easy Out. Those sound awesome and fun! An hour later, yes you read that correctly - an hour later, we are at the bottom. The enthusiasm has dwindled a bit. Don't get me wrong the run was fun but a little bit of reality settled in. Not only was that run long but it may have exposed some gaps in my skiing ability and in my desire for risky activities...uh oh.
After a few more short runs and an awesome lunch, it was time to ramp it up a notch. Time to go up 7th Heaven lift (~7,300 ft; pic #1 below) and traverse down a green, maybe even a blue. We get off the lift and to our left is a beautiful view of Whistler Blackcomb peak. But as I take a closer look (pic #2) there is a cliff that drops straight down. I get to see a black up close and personal. Needless to say, my legs got weak, I got a little dizzy, my stomach started to churn. What the heck did I just get myself into! Should I take the lift back down?
The wind picked up, visibility was worsening, my legs were shot but darn it, if I was going to be an Olympian, it was time make my way back down on skis. No listening to those voices telling me I couldn't do it. Push them aside and get going.
Phew - I made it back to our base camp and only fell once. That turned out to be my last run of the day, and ultimately the end of my Olympic skiing dreams. Wait, what?
That's right, I'm done pursuing "gold" and I'm ok with that. My learning through this experience is that there is a difference between limiting beliefs and setting appropriate limits. In order for us to reach our potential and push to new limits, we need to know when our thoughts/beliefs prevent us from pursuing dreams/interests and when we are pursuing someone else's dreams and interests.
I enjoy skiing but I was never really interested in being one of the best at it. I don't want to take the time it takes to become that good, I have other interests, and I didn't like the feeling that I was going to fall off a cliff.
I loved the opportunity to ski an awesome mountain, spend time with my son-in-law, be outdoors, and experience something new. That's what I really wanted and desired.
I encourage you to consider your real passions and interests which ultimately will allow you to get past your limiting beliefs but also set appropriate limits. The result - more joy in life!
Commentaires