The Clipboard: Lessons from Skiing

Last week I had the privilege of visiting a friend's grandma's lake house. Almost every morning we would take a morning water skiing/wake boarding run. Why did we sacrifice sleep and the chance of getting a complete breakfast? The "glassy" water which you glide smoothly across once you cut out of the boat's wake. Once other boats get onto the lake the water begins to get choppy and unpleasant to some.

One time our boat plowed through the wake of another boat sending a short series of waves which I had to go over. They family was surprised I was able to calmly ski over the obstacles like they barely existed. I realized that by learning to water ski and almost exclusively water skiing on the Ohio river, I had naturally learned to handle the wakes of boats and even barges! Because I had been inserted or literally dragged into rough water from the beginning my performance level "accidentally" is higher than normal.

On the other side of the spectrum, snow skiing has provided me with a slightly different experience. When I began snow skiing, the people I skied with were very cautious and safety minded and every time we hit the slopes we would slowly warm ourselves up on the green slopes. However, a few years later I started skiing with people who had experience out west. The combination of being in an group of athletic, more risk-taking guys I was forced to bump up my skills and level of courage. While other groups enjoyed the opportunity to socialize and talk while other people in their group were coming down the mountain, we were striving slide over the maximum amount snow in a day.

Home schooling instincts kicking in. What lessons can I glean from my experience and apply to my life? First, if we are placed in a tough situation realize the advantages down the road, such as being able to outrun, outwit, outlast your opponents and/or friends. Whether the "rough water" is represented as a difficult piano piece, a "boring" book, or difficult physical activity, persevere through it with determination. Secondly, sometime we need someone to encourage us to "kick it up a notch." For example, if you start running for exercise, find someone who can run farther and faster than you can.


The Bottom Line: Get into rough waters* and, if needed, acquire someone who can spur you on in pursuing your quest.



*A Generation for Truth, it's authors, and/or affiliates disclaim any impacts, injuries ( minor, major, silly and/or serious), accidents, stress, and/or death of either mental physical, and/or spiritual implications resulting from taking the advice provided in this article. Any actions you take after reading this article are to be performed at your own risk. Also, success is not guaranteed. A Generation for Truth, it's authors, and/or affiliates disclaim any loss of self-esteem resulting from reading the aforesaid sentence.