We all have fear whenever we try new things. Fear is like a devil who only scares those who do not and can not control it. Those who are in control pass though the gate where the threshold symbolizes the entrance into another brand new world. Learning to do investment and managing your financial affairs are just like learning everything else such as skiing.
I started learning ski at Bromont last year. It was scary for a girl who came from the southwest of China where we have almost no snow. Snow once every 5 years with 10 centimeters of accumulation would make the transportation system flat, especially the airports! The business went well with a coach of 73 years old ex-UQAM professeur of physical education, who has his doctorate degree. Of course, I felt secure because of that. I fell down twice last year and wasn’t so scared because I learned with babies of as young as one year old.
This year, I was told that I could ski down the beginners’ slope: St-Hyacinthe. Well, okay. So I went. On the slope, I was a bit nervous and forgot what I was told. I felt that my body was stiff and the turns were not as easy. I fell down once. My prof told me that I forgot my Bas-Haut-Bas, so the control of speed was not efficient and I went fast down the slope. The fast speed gave me a feeling that I would lose my control and fall down hard! Control the speed! Yes I did, but not using the techniques other than my waist and my legs. After the first try, I was feeling my muscles in my legs, olala! Not easy! I had never ever sweated that much since my half-professional gymnastic trainings about 35 years ago!
The 2nd time, after being reminded the basics, I felt it less scary and did much better. Then I was told that I was ready for the bigger slope: the Toronto! As you know, I have been a bold and courageous person, I naturally said yes until I got on the top of the slope. Gees! it was not a slope! It looked like a big ziggy-zaggy down hill dive that never ends! My Good Lord, could I do it? gegegege! I couldn’t find my thoughts for a moment! Well, did I have a choice since I was there already? Okaaaaay, not a big deal!!! So I went down. Puff and ding gan dang! I fell and rolled 2 turns on the slope! The skis went away, my sticks off my hands, there I was lying helpless… I was scared at the beginning, and now I felt worse! I wanted to stop, but is there a thing like backing-up half way down the slope when you ski? I doubted and of course I could not. For some moments, I was really scared to continue and the fear put doubts in my mind that I would finish the slope safely! The slope was not only steep, full of bumps and ice, but also very long and I had been wishing to see the end all the way down!
My prof waited lower down for me and said to me: “Control the speed by using the Bas-Haut-Bas. Don’t forget it! Once the speed is controlled, you will be fine!” Yes, I listened and it worked well this time with the technique! I did 4 times on the same slope accompanied by my prof while my son went much faster over another slope (the Detroit) even though he fell down a few times as well.
Before long, I found myself on New York! That was hell of an experience! I could not recall anything I did in the past of my life like that experience! The moment before going down the big slopes are just like the moments before you go to hell and to say that going over the New York Slope is like giving birth to an overweight baby who lies feet down is not at all improper. I went down the second section on my butts after some unendurable long time of hesitating and stood 15 minutes on the edge not knowing who and where I was before measuring the width of the slope down!!!! My friend who took me there said to himself; ” oh, shit! I took her here too early!” After that, he said maybe I should stop, but I said no! Continue! So we did 3 other times and each time, it got easier and I found myself back eventually. That was a scary, but great fun experience with funny ski positions that would make you laugh out loud and that experience is really that of overcoming the fear!
Usually, the older we get, the less willing and able we are to learn new things, and less courageous we become. The older we get, the more experiences (successful and unsuccessful) we have, the more presumptive we become, and the more fear we have. The young people are the opposite. The younger they are, the less experiences they have, less fear they have. Should we be controlled by our age, past experiences and the famous fear? No, except for sky-diving, of which one out of a million dies because of mechanical failure. When your equipment fails you in the high air, you surely have a reason to be scared the shit out and that fear is short, intense, but very true. You just have that kind of fear only once if you are very unlucky to be the one of a big kind!
TO BE CONTINUED!
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