I’d just like to go on record that I’ve avoided skiing for my entire life … up until recently. Even though I grew up outside of Buffalo, New York, where snow was so abundant in the winter months, I avoided skiing. Then, a friend talked me into a trip to Mammoth Ski Resort and though it sounded intriguing, I groaned about impending bones breaking and other such maladies that I’d heard happened to skiers, ugh. Eventually he wore me down, coaxing me with the image of hot chocolate in front of a fireplace in a gorgeous lodge somewhere. Even though I felt great fear and resistance at the thought of hurling down a mountainside on two wooden slats on top of snow and ice,  I decided that it was time to go for it, as overcoming fear is great therapy. You see, usually when something scares me, it’s really a compass for where I need to go next. On the other side of every fear, I have generally found great gifts.

Irrational Fear versus Healthy Fear

Ok, now some would argue that some fears are for self preservation and if you are afraid of trains, it doesn’t mean you have to go stand in front of one … I agree! I’m talking about the irrational fears … and even though I have justified skiing as a rational fear, the number of friends who partake in this activity yearly who are healthy, happy and love the sport were enough to convince me that perhaps my fear was not fully justifiable. So yes, when stepping through a fear, first evaluate if the fear is healthy versus irrational, and make sure to have a third party or two give you some perspective, so you don’t find yourself justifying something that is irrational.

Taking the Leap

So, that being said, I donned boots and managed to hold myself vertical on the skis. Unfortunately, my dear compadre’ that was accompanying me decided that the best way to teach me to ski was to take me half way up the mountain. He said that by the time I reached the bottom, I’d know how it was done!?! Well, this is not a method I would recommend to others but I must admit, it was effective. There was something huge that happened inside of me when I stood at the top of the ski run and knew I was about to go down. Even though my fellow adventurer coached me, it was scarey. My skis slipped down the snow and after the initial sense of feeling out of control, another sensation of exhilaration set in.

The first thing I learned to do was plow … and plow I did, almost all the way down that mountain. At one point I lost control and fell. One of my skis somehow hit the side of my leg and I ended up with a huge, painful bruise. I suppose that in light of what could have happened, that was a minor injury for the day. When we reached the final pass to the bottom, I froze. The steep hill scared me to a point where I was unable to move. In my assessment of the situation, no amount of plowing would help me down. My buddy then decided to snow board behind me, while we both held on to one of my ski poles between us. As ridiculous as we looked, he acted as a human brake for me to go more slowly down the final drop to safety.

Overcoming Fear is Great Therapy

As we reached the bottom of the mountain, a huge wave of relief washed over me, and it was accompanied by a deep sense of accomplishment. Though in retrospect it may have seemed like a less than intelligent thing for me  to embark upon a ski trip that could have caused me some form of injury more than a bruise, I wouldn’t have changed one thing about it, even my fall on the mountain. We went up one more time that day and by the time we hit the bottom, I felt wonderfully exhausted.

In my case, overcoming fear is great therapy, as this experience jump started my soul for more than just skiing. The excitement that I felt from doing something that I had been afraid of for decades brought me the strength and courage to fully jump into my next project, that I had been postponing for a little while.  Sometimes, simply following your life’s work can create a sense of apprehension or alarm, and by overcoming a smaller fear, it is enough to shift the body, mind and soul into action.

So, think about a few irrational fears that might be hiding in your closet, and start with a small one. Do something to safely but firmly walk through that sense of fright and collect the awesome, magical gift that awaits you on the other side of that trepidation 🙂