"You have control."

Those three words echoed throughout my brain every time I went down a big hill when skiing this past weekend. 

From reading my first skiing mantra back in January (click here to read it, I just laughed out loud reading it again), you know that I am not an expert skier. In fact, skiing Mont Tremblant in January was only my second time trying to get down a snow-covered mountain. My third and fourth times occurred this past weekend in upstate New York. 

Well, I'm super excited to report that I actually graduated to the blue square difficulty level on Sunday! [Green circles are easy, blue squares are more difficult, black diamonds are for the crazy people who deal very well with going down steep, icy hills. Me one day. :)]

I was scared.

My boyfriend and the guys I was with are expert skiers and told me on the second chair lift up the mountain after doing a green circle: "With how well you're skiing today, you can totally do the Showcase trail down the mountain today." 
Me: "Is that a blue square?"
Guys: "Yes, you can definitely do it."
Me: "I don't know."

As I sat there going higher and higher, looking at the beautiful snow-covered trees view, thinking about how I was very happy with myself that I just mastered a green circle trail by not completely panicking at the speeds I was going, I wondered if I should attempt the blue square trail that was specifically called "Showcase" because it is under the gondola so people can watch you. 

And that's when I told myself to stop thinking and just do it. 

You know my philosophy over here at UYS headquarters: When you think too much, you can cause yourself to spiral out of control and make up stories that are completely false. 

"You have control."

Those three words took me down a much more difficult trail, with steeper hills and little bumps, without falling. 

Then we went up again to do the same trail. I totally dominated it. I went at speeds that normally sent me into a panic and cruised down the hills effortlessly. 

I got to the bottom, stopped, and realized that I had just conquered a huge fear. I actually enjoyed myself.

I wasn't as tense, I was flexible in my body. I made it. 

Remember that you always have control—and you will make it too.




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