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Today’s intention is:
To lean in.
Whatever’s camped out in your head, don’t resist it. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t let it fester one more minute.
Today, race toward it.
Standing at the top of Chair 4, Taylor waves me forward.
I point both skis down the mountain, push the poles into the snow and shove off.
Wind blasts me as I pick up speed.
I turn my hips then stomp my inside right edge into the icy floor.
The skis rattle. My throat locks up and my teeth clamp down.
I turn again. My left ski catches powdery snow. The sure footing feels good.
Taylor zooms by. I point both skis down.
We hurl past several skiers.
The faster we go, the more I imagine the skis flying out from under me.
I only see white space, no depth, no grooves or mounds.
More wind blasting.
Uncertainty pushes me to my heels then I feel my balance slipping.
My throat and teeth do their thing again…
“Remember, lean forward. You crash when you lean back.” Taylor’s earlier guidance pops into my head.
I squat deep, and press my chin forward into the blustery wind.
The skis lock on the snow as I glide down Mammoth’s frontside.
Taylor’s standing at the bottom. I slam both skis into the ground and skid to a stop just in front of him.
“Damn dude, you were cruising. I’m impressed.”
“Only way, right?”
“Only way.”
I hadn’t been on skis since I was 10. And even though I felt terrified the entire time, leaning into that terror was my shortcut toward progress.
It’s your short cut too.
Here’s how Pressfield puts it:
“Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”
Growth, progress comes from reaching beyond your edges.
And tension, fear signals you’ve reached them.
Your throat locks up and teeth clamp down.
Remember, lean forward.
Only way, right?
See you at the bottom.
Until next week,
Don’t wait. Start small. Learn as you go.
🙏🧡🤘
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A guaranteed shortcut to growth and progress