ou have it in you to take on the challenge. What is that challenge? It is the thing that you have been putting off for years. The thing you fear. The thing that keeps you stating I need to have something before I can start. Take on that challenge.
I will share a story with you of a time when I thought I had to cross certain stages before reaching the top of the mountain. In my late 20s I took on the sport of snow skiing. I wanted to make sure I was prepared for this adventure so I enrolled in ski school and attended weekly lessons. I found myself catching onto this sport quickly with minimal occasions of falling; however, I was still on the bunny hill. The bunny hill is the area for beginners; it was a flat surface of snow. I was comfortable on the bunny hill and pleased with what I had accomplished. While there were larger more challenging mountains around me I felt more time was needed on the bunny hill to perfect my skill of skiing.
Then one weekend when I was in the company of some expert skiers while still on the bunny hill. My friend observed and stated, "You seem to be picking this up quickly come with us over to this other area to ski". I followed my friend trusting that they knew I was a beginner and would not guide me to something out of my element of skill. We got on a chair lift that seemed never ending. As we were going higher I noticed this was not a bunny hill nor was it an intermediate slope.
Once we reached the top I discovered it was one of the most challenging black diamond slopes. I stated to my friend, "What have you done I am not yet at the level to ski this black diamond, I have yet to ski the intermediate slope". My friend replied, "Yes you are I have observed your skill". I immediately started to look around for a less challenging slope and there was none.
Several emotions ran through my mind at that moment.
- The first emotion was anger: I asked myself why my friend would take me to this black diamond slope knowing I was just a beginner.
- The second emotion was fear: I thought about taking my skis off and walking down the slope; however, that was impossible due to it was a vertical drop down and walking was not an option.
- The third emotion was taking the challenge: I had no other way of getting down but to attempt to ski down.
While my friend offered encouraging words I was not yet convinced. I stood at the top of the mountain looking out over the horizon and going over in my mind a strategy of how to tackle this venture. After making sure my ski boots were securely attached to my skis I took on the challenge and proceeded down the black diamond slope with great speed and concentration.
Finally I reached the point of leveled ground and to my surprise I did not fall. Once I grasped the moment of relief I looked at that black diamond slope and never ventured back to the bunny hill again.
I thank my friend for seeing something in me that needed to go higher. What black diamond mountain are you avoiding? You have it in you to take the challenge. It is your time. Go for it!
Harmony In Motion is a interpersonal skills team building development company. We provide teams and individuals with the knowledge to work together in harmony by improving their interpersonal relationships
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