Does anyone else feel like this winter has flown by? January took its time a bit, but February flew by and March seems to be following in its footsteps! Things have been well overall - I ended February with a wonderful ski trip with my father and the Harford Ski Club up in British Columbia at Red Mountain resort, and started March off with a 3rd place finish with The Chancellor in the Novice at Full Gallop Farm. Cedric got some body work and maintenance injections done last week so is back on track for the season and feels great. As for me, I’m enjoying the time I have left in Aiken and looking forward to the move to Boston at the end of the month.
While skiing in Canada, my favorite trails were the numerous glades and tree trails throughout the mountain. Reflecting back on these runs makes me think about life and the paths we can take, the obstacles and tasks we face, and how it all adds up to ultimately reaching our goals (I also seem to have made it my mission to find a metaphor about life in pretty much everything).
Each phase of life is a bit like coming up to the top of a moderately dense glade that’s just a bit challenging for your ability level. You ski (or snowboard) up, look down, and feel that combination of a little intimidated but also excited by the challenge. You pick out your first couple of turns, and then drop in. Along the way you’re constantly making quick decisions about which path to take, which tree to turn around, reacting when a turn resulted in a bigger drop down than expected or you hit an unseen rough patch. If it’s a long, more challenging run, you’ll probably stop at some point and take a few deep breaths to reflect on how your run is going and what you need to adjust for the rest of it. Sounds a bit like life, doesn’t it?
This metaphor has really resonated with me the last few weeks. 2019 has not been the improvement on 2018 that I was hoping for yet, and internally I haven’t been the best about always seeing the “forest through the trees.” What I mean by this is not letting the obstacles that continually pop up (the trees) keep me from enjoying the journey and ultimate goal (the forest). Sometimes in a glade you get to tough spot where there’s no easy way around, and you just have to power through it and do your best. The same is true with life. Not every obstacle is going to be a fun or easy one to conquer, but for every one of those obstacles are a series of turns that you cruise through and feel amazing about.
In addition to metaphors, I seem to really like talking about paths (see my blog from about this time last year “Don’t Fear the Path Less Followed”). When you’re navigating through trees on the slope, there are a ton of different paths you can take, much like the different options many of us face when navigating life. You know your end goal is down below you, but there isn’t just one path down and you’re readjusting quickly to the options and opportunities that pop up. I’ve found the best way to be prepared for this is to know what your ultimate goal is and what your values are - having those already in your mind helps make these decisions easier to make at speed. Concurrently, it’s also important to make sure you’re actually headed towards the destination you want to reach, and readjust if you’re not.
On our second day of skiing I was complaining to my dad that I wasn’t turning when I wanted to - like I would go to turn and it just wouldn’t happen. His response was that it wasn’t that I wasn’t a good skier or even that my skis weren’t performing - rather my legs were probably getting tired so they weren’t making the to the turns as well. His recommendation was to take a break partway down the slope from time to time to let them recover for a minute, even if I was going down well.
Like cruising through glades, there are times in life when you need to slow down and take a break. Sometimes things will be going really well and you’re moving towards your goals, but doing so at 100 mph. That’s great, and super productive, but it’s important to allow yourself to rest from time to time so you can keep up that progress without completely crashing. Resting also allows you the benefits of reflection, thinking on why things have been going the way they have been going, what to change going forward and what to keep the same. This is also the time to check-in on whether you’re still headed towards the destination you want to arrive at, and if not, readjust your path to head towards it. It’s also not always about the speed of the journey, but rather the quality of the turns along the way, the enjoyment of doing things well, and checking in along the way in case your goals have readjusted. The bottom of the slope will be there, so you might as well enjoy the journey down to it.
The forest I’ve seen recently when I took a step back is excelling in a career that makes a difference on the world, while being a quality competitor at the top levels of eventing. This forest is broad and quite large, but I have time to find my way through it and lots to look forward to along the way.
On that (slightly corny) note, happy journeying and as always, never hesitate to reach out to talk or share your thoughts!
JL
Dad and I on top of Red Mountain in British Columbia
The Chancellor showing off his 3rd place and TIP High Place ribbons