Not Me

Downhill skiing reveals the pull of  gravity that many other activities don’t.  When you are at the top of the mountain and point your skis downhill, gravity takes over.

It’s an exhilarating experience and sometimes frightening, but I’m learning that if I work with gravity by adjusting my weight and skis I can make my way down the slope mostly in one piece.

What’s exciting (and sometimes frightening) about going down a more challenging run for the first time is that you don’t altogether know what the run will be like. A trail map can give you some information, but it can’t replace experience.

This week I stood at the top of the tallest mountain peak I have ever been on. As I rode up the gondola I got more and more anxious as we approached the 11,166ft summit.  For a few minutes we walked around the summit and took in a view that stretched from Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. That alone was the worth the trip to the peak.

This was the most daunting run that I and my wife have attempted and for a few minutes we both thought about turning back. Had it not been for the encouragement of our 13 year old son, we might have.

I entered the course and worked hard to maintain my speed and not get out of control. After a couple of falls and a few swear words I got past the most difficult part of the hill and made my way to the bottom with more confidence. It was awesome and I will most likely never do it again.

It takes courage to try something new and to venture into an experience where you feel drawn but where the outcome is unknown.  This the gravitational pull of life.

Sometimes we feel pulled in certain directions or to certain people.  We feel drawn to move into a new venture or feel called to pursue an option we haven’t tried before. These experiences can be fun, exhilarating, and frightening.

If we fight this pull we often miss out on opportunities for growth. We miss on meeting  people who will expand our understanding of ourselves or our world.  We miss the opportunities to move our careers in a direction that’s in better alignment with our values, skills, and strengths.  We may also miss an opportunity to expand our sense of what we are capable of.

Sometimes we feel pulled to move in a new direction but are unsure of if we can be successful or who we will become in the process.  Here some gravitational pulls I’ve had and seen other people go through:

• to start a relationship
• to end a relationship
• to go back to school
• to start a business
• to travel
• to engage a social cause
• to transform their health
• to transform their minds
• to rework their beliefs
• to shift in their career

What I’ve learned as a I’ve evolved as person is that if we are doing our best to live a life of awareness we will understand more about what is pulling us. I’ve learned  if I trust my internal sense that a new direction is the right path to take, then I can also trust that I will figure out how to work with that pull.

When you are wresting with a pull in your life and are unsure about it, it’s time to call on the people you trust. Enlist the wisdom of people around you and be open to their feedback and advice. Take advice but  you get to decide what is right for you because you are the author of your life.

I’ve had times in my life where I knew I was being pulled in a certain direction and I ignored it.  Like trying to fight the gravitation pull of the earth I  wasted a huge amount of time and energy resisting the call to live life differently.

I’ve learned that if I work with what is pulling me life is more rewarding. I’ve also learned is that if you work with the gravitational pull of life, you may not always know how it will turn out. That is what makes life both daunting and exciting. Let go of the outcome and engage in the process.

What gravitational pull of life is pulling you?  Are you working with it or trying to fight it?

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