By | David Klaasen | Helping You Create Clarity, Inspire Your People & Drive Performance | Retain your best people | Changing Management Mindsets and Behaviour | Practical Behaviour Analytics
Eyes wide open seeing nothing
Hurtling down a very steep slope with speed making the icy wind bite into my face, every nerve in my body alert with adrenalin pumping through my veins, my eyes wide open . . . yet I could see nothing!
All I could do was feel my way using my legs as shock absorbers and maintain a keen focus on my centre of gravity by leaning forward on my skis which felt totally un-natural. Our rapid downhill descent from the clear sunny peaks of the Meribel valley into dense snow-filled clouds was a bit of a shock. Everything went blank, there were no contours or indications of what lay on the surface just in front of us.
I had no choice but to use the surge of adrenalin to stay alert, and be prepared for any sudden bumps, steep drops or sheets of ice. Within seconds my body made a number of instinctive and coordinated adjustments to shift the angle of my skis so I could start traversing the slope and rapidly slow down while maintaining control.
It took a lot of effort to stay focused and calm despite how I was feeling. Within milliseconds I had to remove all the fears and images of previous falls that flashed across my mind. It’s funny how the mind will seek out previous failures, setbacks and upsets when a perceived danger arises.
Now that I have a few years of practice behind me it was ok, but I could feel my heart racing as I thought about what may have happened only two years ago when I had a lot less skill and self-awareness on the slopes. I could have had a nasty fall or worse, collided with someone. Every year for the last 5 years of learning how to ski I have seen someone being attended to on the slopes by medics or being taken away on a stretcher!
Awareness is the key
As I reflect on that incident I am reminded that the secret to success in challenging situations lies in staying totally focused on the ‘here and now’. It’s about being totally present to what is going on and seeing things for what they are, not what you imagine them to be. This means being aware of how you are feeling and how those feelings are affecting your thinking.
