Day 1

I decided to learn snowboarding. I have never skied or snowboarded before, but it has been on my wish list for a long while.

We had 4 days in Branäs and the plan was to learn snowboarding in first 2 days and snowboarding with the kids on the red piste in the last 2 days.

Goal Settings

One of the snowboard teachers got sick and the other one was fully booked. The earliest appointment we could get for snowboard lessons was the 3rd day morning. So my favorite kids have become my teachers. And they were good ones! ;) But they left for the red pistes after showing us, beginners the basic moves of snowboarding and giving the following advices:

- Take it easy!
- It's all about practicing a good balance!
- Don't want / force to do it! Just let the snowboard slide under you!

I practiced a few hours on the green piste. I almost hated myself in the first 30 minutes for choosing snowboard. I felt like being locked up when my both feet were attached to the snowboard, and when I arrived down it wasn't so comfortable to walk with one foot still attached to the snowboard. But I remembered that "everybody wants to play the game well, but nobody likes to learn the game". Yes, the studying part usually boring, sometimes hard too - I remembered that from my earlier experiences -, so I just started to focus on my reward: "snowboarding with the kids on the red piste from the 3rd day", and kept practicing.

Keep Practicing...

By the afternoon the green piste had become boring for me, so I went to practice on the blue one. Of course I fell over in every 10-15 meters on this piste by the time I got down. But I wanted to keep practicing until the piste was closed (7pm). My goal was for the first day, to get down on the blue piste without falling. I almost managed, but I always fell once in the middle. Around 6:30, I went down and I after yelling for the others at the steepest point of the piste that "Watch out , I'm not so good, I can't stop!" :) , I managed to pass everybody (a mother and her 2 little children), and I fell a big one: I hit my head and hurt my back hard. Then I decided to finish practicing for the first day.

At home, in the sauna I drew my conclusion:

Yes, I set (too) high goal - completing the blue piste without falling on the first day - and didn't reach it, but I was very close to it with only one fall. I also respected my body - and my limits, I knew where to stop (after that falling I was really exhausted, there was no point to continue practicing). However I didn't meet my original goal, I accomplished and learned more this way than I would have accomplished with a lower standard (eg.: completing the blue piste with only 1-2 falls).

And I also remembered myself that my ultimate goal is to enjoy my path toward my goals, so the goals I set for myself, indeed, are becoming only means to me to meet my ultimate goal.