Jerry or Genius (Part Two)?

Hola and welcome to The Summit, my weekly newsletter where I share my unfiltered thoughts on navigating the peaks and valleys of adulthood. From health and relationships to productivity and purpose, consider this newsletter a collection of naive wisdom from a 20-something year old summiting the mountain of life.

Today: Jerry or Genius (part 2)?

For those of you who haven’t read my first article on this topic, I would suggest starting there! I had so much fun writing the first article that I decided to brainstorm and share 6 more pieces of Jerry wisdom:

1. Gotta show up early if you want fresh tracks  

Whenever mother nature blesses the hill with any amount of powder, everyone wants a piece of it. The skill hill opens at 9am and most days, there is a line of about 10-20 people ready to go; but when it snows overnight, you can expect hundreds. People will be lining up from 7am. Why? Because only the first few people will get fresh tracks. By 9:30 am, it will all be skied out, no more pow :(.

There are a lot of hustlers out there, so as they say, early bird gets the worm. Win the morning, win the day. Don’t miss easy wins. Seize opportunities.

2. It is more send than skill

I am a firm believer that skiing/snowboarding progression depends more on how willing you are to ‘send it’ than how skillful you are. As an example, I went on a NZ ski trip with two friends, both had never snowboarded before. Big Josh came out guns blazing, flying and falling down the hill with little control. On the other hand, taking the more conservative approach, Jack took his time within his comfort zone. I am NOT saying one approach is better than other, but, after four days Big Josh owned that ski hill, compared to Jack, who owned that bunny hill. However, in Jack’s defense, he probably had a significantly lower chance of injuring himself and others. Personally, I believe the optimal approach would be somewhere in the middle.

Applying this same principle to life, you could say that wherever you are now depends on your experience (ability), and where you are going depends on how much you are willing to hustle and improve (send it). So, if you want to improve quickly, I say send it.

3. You can have just as much fun on an $80 snowboard as a $1000 snowboard

This may stir controversy, however the facts are, I paid $80 for my snowboard in Canada, and another $25 for my boots; and my lovely girlfriend paid circa de $1000. I am not saying that her board and boots were overpriced or anything, but we did have just about the same fun!

I don’t think you always need all the bells and whistles in life! A base model car will get you just as far as the top-of-the-line model. If you can afford it, and it is of value to you, fantastic. Just don’t forget to ask yourself if you really need it. I would recommend Do You Really Need It? for further reading!

4. You will never learn anything new without falling

I tried to backflip over 30 times before I landed one. What did the 30 times look like?

Well, that was actually taken the first time I tried a rail, but you get the gist. You WILL NOT improve without falling, it is just part of the process.

It is so easy for everyone to accept this notion on the ski hill but not so much in everyday life. But the principle still applies! If you are wanting to try something new or improve anyway, you have to be prepared to fall. Every Jerry starts somewhere.

5. There are many lines down the same run  

Everyone takes a different path down the hill. You can bomb it. You can carve down. You can hit every side hit. Or you can do a mix of all three. Sure, you can take some inspiration, but don’t just copy someone else’s line, where’s the fun in that? As long as you’re heading in the right direction, you’ll get there.

Ignoring the bombing, carving and side hits, I think every part of that paragraph can be applied to our lives. It is easy to get caught up comparing yourself to the path other people are taking, but again, where’s the fun in that? Take your time and enjoy your own line.

6. I always have the most fun off piste

On every ski hill there are groomed runs and areas that have been left as is. So when people say off piste, they are simply referring to these untouched areas. Everyone has different preferences, some people love flying down groomers, some love hanging out in the park (with the rails and man-made jumps), and others like skiing off piste. Personally, I love trail blazing off piste.

But the problem I find when visiting new ski hills, is the abundance of choice. It is overwhelming choosing where to ski and people generally spend the whole day rushing to cover as much as they can, only to feel exhausted by the end, wishing they just stuck to a few of their favourite areas.

I know this is not always the case, however I think we can all learn something from the example. Now more than ever, we are faced with an overwhelming abundance of choices in all facets of our lives. From what car we want, to what career we want; and if we try to have a go at everything, we will just wind up exhausting ourselves. So my takeaway? Stay true to yourself. Focus on what brings you joy. If you’re a groomer guy, bomb those groomers! The grass is always greener where you water it…

So what do you think, Jerry or Genius?

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