Learning to Ski (A Reminder That Failing is Not All Bad)
I recently moved to Flagstaff, Arizona. It is a short-term move as I will only be here until May, but I am looking to make the most of my time in the snow. Being from Phoenix and attending college in Los Angeles, I have never experienced a "harsh" winter. Many of you would probably argue that Flagstaff will not be a "harsh" winter either, but let me assure you, it will be plenty cold for me.
In part due to the prompting of a friend, I have decided to learn to ski while living in Flagstaff. My first day on the hill had a fairly standard start. I stood in line, struggled to fit into the rental skis, waited anxiously for my lesson to begin, and learned the basics from an almost-too-friendly ski instructor.
I spent the rest of the day falling...and falling...and falling. I was thankful for neutral-colored clothing because there is no doubt in my mind that I was the worst skier on the mountain that day, and I was not particularly interested in being identified as such.
As I left the hill, I wondered if I would ever be able to even make it down the smallest slope. I doubted that I had what it took to be a skier. For the next few days before I had another chance to go, I was dreading getting back to the slope, but I knew I had to give it another shot.
As soon as I stepped into my skis on day two, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. Despite every bone in my body telling me otherwise, I started sliding down the hill. Between a few tumbles, wedge turns, and a lot of patience, I slowly made my way down. I had some hope of success. By the end of the day, I had figured out how to navigate that small hill without falling. I was not proficient by any means, but skiing began to feel a bit more natural.
Now, a few weeks later, I am still making slow progress, but I look forward to the days that I get to ski. Hopefully, I will continue to improve throughout the next few months.
I realized these last couple of weeks how important it is to do things that I am bad at. Too often, we get stuck doing the same things and never try anything new. I am convinced that trying things that I am bad at is one of the best uses of my time. It helps me in three ways:
Staying courageous
Doing things that we are bad at reminds us that it is not the end of the world to be bad at things
Sometimes we get so scared of failure that we forget that we can overcome failure
Aristotle writes that reading/watching tragedies helps to cleanse us of fear. In a similar way, I believe failing helps to cleanse us of the fear of failure
Learning how to learn
When we try things we are bad at, we have to learn in order to get better
Many of the skills in our lives can be learned using similar patterns
In my opinion, the best skill you can learn is "how to learn"
Building skills from the ground up forces us to understand how we learn most effectively
Adding new skills, hobbies, and knowledge
An obvious benefit is that new skills, hobbies, and knowledge improve our lives
Whether it is a new concept, a potential life-long hobby, or a practical skill for your career, learning some new is life-giving and life-improving
I am not sure whether skiing will be part of my life years from now, but I have no doubt that learning how to ski will benefit me for the rest of my life. It is difficult, fun, and teaching me to persevere. I hope you have a great rest of your week and take on a new challenge. Trust me, it will be good for you!