Yan Maschke February 2017

I thought I was a risk taker until this.

The winter air on the ski hill feels crisp on the face. My legs are tense, chest tightening. I can feel a gentle sweat and hear the sound of heart pumping.

I am standing still on the top of the hill.

“Lean forward!” my ski instructor’s voice is replaying in my ears, “Push your shins forward against the boots!”

Mentally, I know that’s what I should do. Physically and emotionally, I a struggling to embody those few simple words - “Just lean forward.”

Taking a few deep breaths, I decide to draw my attention to what’s happening with me, and start to notice my state of being both physically and emotionally. I am having a classic “fight / flight / freeze” reaction! To be precise, I am in a “freeze” mode because I am afraid of a “fight” and there is no place to “flight”!

Taking a moment to honor my state of being, I tell myself that fear is simply trying to warn me and to protect me.

Taking a few more deep and crisp winter breaths, I start to center and ground my body. I tell myself that I don’t HAVE TO ski so there is no “fight” necessary, and that it is my CHOICE that I want to learn skiing so that I can spend family time with my husband and daughter.

My chest feels a bit looser. My legs are starting to relax.

Once I feel I am coming from a more free and relaxed space, I am able to remember the ski instructor’s demo. The fact is, with these ski boots, it will be extremely hard to fall when the body is leaning forward, in contrary, it would be much easier to fall when the body weight is back.

Taking one more deep breath, inviting a big and confident smile, I decide to take a risk and experiment with this “lean forward” technique.

Wow! Off I go!!

I am not sweating from the nervousness. My legs are burning far less this time. Physically I feel quite stable. I am picking up speed that I never had before. Surprisingly, much less feeling of “I am going to fall!”

It is counter-intuitive, but it worked!

I cheer for myself and honor a moment of celebration. I did it!

Standing there at the bottom of the hill, with a winner’s smile, I reflect on the concept of “leaning forward”.

I notice that the key turning points in my life are points when I chose to lean forward towards a major challenge or opportunity. Leaving China and coming to the U.S., pursuing the goal of leading a global business for a large firm, then challenging my long-held identify and passionately turning onto a more entrepreneurial path.

I guess skiing is no different from life. Or should I say, life is no different from skiing?

Based on research conducted and brain imageries taken by the Center of Cognitive Neuroscience at the U. Of Turku in Finland, there is more "white matter" or "superhighways" within the neural network amongst risk-seekers. Researcher Dagfinn Moe says, "Daring and risk-willingness activate and challenge the brain's capacity and contribute towards learning, coping strategies and development."

Of course we are talking about positive risk taking, risk taking backed by required skills. In my case, I had the technical skill of skiing down that hill, and my instructor knows it too. It was the confidence and trust to lean forward that made the difference here.

How often do YOU choose to lean forward when facing a risk or challenge? What do those decisions afford you or may afford you? How might such reflection influence your choices in the future, and your future?

I’d love to hear your insights.

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