Bumping it up a Notch

Last weekend my friend Irene generously hosted a snow weekend at her Big Bear cabin. It was restorative, replete with good food, good people, good skiing, good Olympics and GREAT reading.

Upon renting my skies, the guy asked my skiing level and I blurted out "Intermediate." Now, this isn't really true. I usually only ski once a year, if that, and I am a chicken, often taking the easy route. I decided right there and then that this trip would be the trip where I bumped it up a notch.

The next day on the slopes, I suited up, clicked my boots into my skies, bypassed the beginner line and marched myself up to the advanced beginner chair lift. Upon reaching the top, I swooshed down the hill with ease. I did it again and again until a little voice inside said, "Eh hem...Intermediate." I listened to that voice and hopped on another chair lift, one I'd never been on before. At the top of the mountain I swallowed hard and got ready to snow plow down. I thought about my mom - when she first got her computer (before she became an expert, editing home movies, etc.) she'd touch it and gasp, worried she'd make some horrible mistake that would wipe out her hard drive. "Don't be scared of the computer," I'd say in frustration. "The computer is your friend." And so I switched 'computer' to 'mountain' and followed my own advice. Voices of lessons past echoed in my mind: "Push the button!" (a technique for keeping your knees together), "Turn with your shoulders!" and the most important, "Have fun!"

And boy did I ever.

Sure, thoughts of Sunny Bono and Natasha Richardson raced through my mind, but I pushed them aside. By ten in the morning, on the empty mountain, I'd done about eight runs, zipping down slopes I didn't even know existed. I took a break and studied the map. There were chair lifts that lead to higher chair lifts, there were circuitous runs that wound around the mountain, there were even jumps and moguls to conquer. I bumped it up a notch again and found an advanced intermediate slope - little Shaun White's cruised passed me on their snowboards. I skied wide, making long, arching spirals. The snow was fresh, the day was gorgeous. I kept thinking, "I'm doing it! I'm not falling! And I'm having fun!"

I truly believe that I tricked myself into believing I was an intermediate. The possibilities suddenly became endless. What if I trick myself into believing I can get a great raise at work? Or that my new book will end up as a NY Times Bestseller? Or that I'll finish the third book in a matter of months? Meet and fall in love with Apolo Ohno? (okay, okay...)

So, if you are stuck in "beginner" mentality, why not try bumping it up a notch? See where it takes you. You might wind up on a slippery slope going nowhere, but then again, you might have the ride of your life.