One Girl's Wanderlust Adventures

Tahoe, California

If you know me, you know I absolutely love trying new things.  It is both terrifying and thrilling.  It nurtures my mind, body and soul.  Forcing yourself outside your comfort zone prepares you to deal with bigger changes that might be out of your control, making you more adaptable.  Importantly, it helps you view change as a challenge, not a threat.  And who doesn’t love a good challenge?

I can best sum up my recent snowboarding adventure as taking two steps forward followed by taking one step back. The first day started off great as I built confidence, improved my technique and beat the pants off the other girl in my lesson.  Not that it was a competition.  Ok.  It was totally a competition, and I won.  Hands down.  But then came Day Two.  My confidence fell in direct proportion to the increased bruising.  (I apparently missed the lesson about keeping your ego in check.)  Day Three?  Superstar!!  Day Four?  Epic fail (although I blame that on really crappy snow conditions).  Luckily I ended the season on a high note, making significant improvement despite the occasional setback.

So, snowboarding was a good reminder that life sometimes beats you up a little.  Or you have an off day (or week; or month).  But don’t lose your confidence or your optimism.  You’re still ahead of the game, making progress, and tomorrow will be better.  Also, consider investing in knee pads.   It’s utterly exhilarating to succeed at something that you had to work so hard to obtain.  If it was easy, it wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding.