When I was in 5th grade, my family took our annual ski trip to Colorado like we do every year, except this year was different. This year my mom signed my brother and me up for a private lesson with a fantastic ski instructor named Dan.

When Dan first told me I was going to ski down a double black diamond at the highest point of the mountain, I didn’t know what to think. He was a funny person with a good attitude and could act silly sometimes, but after he said this I thought he had to be crazy. I was excited, but also really nervous.   My brother didn’t seem to be bothered at all. Skiing down a double black diamond can be a lot more challenging and dangerous than other trails. At this point on the hill, I wasn’t very confident.

When we got to the top of the ski lift, things started to get very real. Is this it? Are we here? I asked myself. As if my instructor read my mind, he told my brother and I that we had to take off our skis and hike up the hill. I was shocked. I didn’t expect to have to hike anywhere.

As we made our way up the hill, I started to get tired. It isn’t easy hiking up a hill with heavy skis on your shoulders. When thinking about the top, I imagined a small clearing surrounded by trees, but what I ended up seeing was very different.

As I reached the top, I was amazed. I was in a huge clearing with a few trees and a beautiful view of the mountain. All of the nervousness left my body. I was in a place of beauty, and the realization of that had taken all of the negative thoughts out of my head and replaced them with positive ones. I was going to have a lot of fun.

At this moment, realization struck me. This experience that I just had could be applied to any of my experiences in life. At the beginning of something, I am often nervous knowing that what I am about to do is something new. As I start to process the idea of doing something new, I start to think about what is waiting for me at the other end of a goal. When I get to the top, I realize that what is waiting for me in many situations is exactly what I need to gain more confidence and make something new more exciting rather than scary. That day on the top of the mountain with the bright blue sky and mountains that stretched further than I could see, I realized that skiing down a double black diamond would be fun, and that by reaching the top of the mountain, I could already prove that I could ski it.

Those twenty minutes of my life became a very important part of who I am. I realized that I could do absolutely anything I set my mind to and that the exhilaration of not knowing what will be at the end of a goal or event makes things more exciting. If I try to have this mindset, things will be more fun and enjoyable. I realized that day that I shouldn’t let a little fear or nervousness stop me from having fun while I try to accomplish something. This is something that a lot of people need to realize. Don’t let fear or nervousness get in the way of what you want to achieve, and don’t let it affect your mindset and how you see and interact with other people. Make the times you try something new one of your strengths, not your weaknesses.

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