I have always been an extremely cautious person. You see, it was instilled in me by my parents at a very young age. To say that they were not risk takers is probably the understatement of the year! As a matter of fact, they wouldn’t even get in a car if they could avoid it. They were too afraid of crashes. They were perfect for each other ? both extremely phobic and able to reinforce each other’s fears and insecurities. Needless to say, for much my adult life I have been trying to overcome my upbringing. Up until recently, it did not seem to be working. That is why I decided to learn to snowboard.
Learning snowboarding might not seem like a big deal to a lot of people. After all, there are quite a few sports out there that are more extreme. In a world with hang gliding, skydiving, and things like that, deciding to learn to snowboard is a pretty tame move. Nonetheless, for me it was pretty radical. As a matter of fact, it was the most dangerous thing I had ever tried.
At first, I was afraid to learn to snowboard. I actually tried audio courses and learning snowboarding, videos that promised to show me tricks, and all kinds of other tools that allowed me to not have to stand up on the board. I was only putting off the inevitable. Sooner or later, if I wanted to learn to snowboard, I would have to just get up and do it. Last winter I decided to do just that. I went out to a ski lodge and signed up for snowboarding classes. I took a private snowboarding lesson, as well as several group classes. It was the thrill of my life!
In retrospect, it was silly for me to put off my decision to learn to snowboard for so long. Once I got up and did it, it was a lot of fun. Learning to snowboard is not half as hard as I had imagined, and once I had gone down the hill a couple times with nothing happening worse than a few falls, most of my fear was gone. Not only that, but it gave me more confidence in my day-to-day life. After all, you have to take risks now and then. Being afraid all the time doesn’t really protect you. It only stops you from enjoying your life.
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