Squaw Valley Style
We left Silicon Valley at 6:00 pm on Friday night: 4 hours, 3 girls, 2 orders of curly fries, and 1 Taylor Swift CD later, we made it to our quaint cabin tucked in the woods of Tahoe City for a weekend of boarding & skiing.
All the while, our brains were spinning over the latest tech news, business updates, job requirements, career goals, and just the future.
“You go tthat James Dead day dream look in your eye
And I got that red lip classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time.
Cause we never go out of style…”
It’s like being 8 years old on a hot summer day after touching the bottom of the pool and fiercely gliding to the top for air. So many options in the land of opportunity that we find it difficult to decide where to dive in.
And I thought choosing a fast food restaurant for dinner that night was a tough choice. (Arby’s for the win though, who’s with me?)
Not to mention the difficulty in choosing a skill level of hills to board down. Go green? Can I handle the blue? Should I attempt the coveted black diamond?
“Midnight, you come and pick me up
No headlights
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise”
We spent the entire day flying down the hills. With only one way down, we didn’t have to decide if, it’s just how.
That night, too exhausted to party like we’re 22, we decided to stay in and talk about our goals to make them a priority. Woah, what?
Fade into view, it’s been a while since I have even heard from you
I should just tell you to leave cause I
Know exactly where it leads but I
Watch us go round and round each time
Goals. Do you have them? What do they look like?
Are you searching for your career path? Considering grad school? Maybe you’re thinking about starting a blog. Or maybe you just have that itch to drop out and travel the world.
“And when we go crashing down, we come back every time”
Goals have an odd way of manifesting in everyday life.
There I was, halfway down my first blue hill of the day when I reached the flat part of the mountain. My slow and steady mantra would hardly get me through. My snowboard kept flirting with the 20 foot drop cliff on the side. I was nervous. I got down on my butt and scooted to the other side, trying to gain speed, but to no avail. Frustrated, I unclipped my board and bypassed the flat lands to dart towards the next downhill.
Irritated, I sat down in the snow, forcing my board back on, but I kept sliding down the mountain. All of a sudden, my snowboard was out of my hands, flying down the mountain, sans my clumsy clipped-in feet.
In Olaf fashion, I ran, more like tumbled, down the mountain after my board.
The ski lift passengers were yelling: “go left,” “it’s to the right,” “it’s in the trees,” “It’s at the bottom,” “TIE YOUR SHOE!.”
Not at all stressful, no.
I finally retrieved my board from a not-so-amused looking park guide. He accepted my story and apology and I went to regroup/hide from the world. I could have quit, but in true Tay Swift fashion, I decided to Shake it off.
Even when you do chose a path, it might not be right. Re-thinking and questioning is normal.
Just like I made a fool of myself, mastering doesn’t happen after one shot. Clarity is far from forthcoming. While I don’t know what you should do, I can help you get there with less falls, a la Google Zen Kat Maps…
The 3 Pivotal Steps before you GO:
1. Identify the part of your life that you are not happy with.
2. Locate actionable items to improve it.
3. Write it out and plan. Writing=clarity gaining.
The secret: no one really knows.
“Long drive, could end up in burning flames or paradise”
Being uncomfortable is sometimes a good thing. Don’t run from it. Find your calling amidst distraction.
As cheesy as it sounds, talk about it with others.
There’s less value in the unknown, so pick something and run glide with it.
You’ll figure it out, eventually.
See where your thoughts lead you. Mine led me bravely down the hill, ungracefully flying after my medium and then back up again.
“We never go out of style.”
“I wish I could just project everything on the paper,” he said. “By the time I’m half-way through I’m already on to something else.” The Garden was abandoned.
-Just Kids
Question for you: Snowboarding or skiing?
