Skiing Uphill

by Judi Moreo

Have you ever had one of those days? You know what I’m talking about…a day when you felt like the world had it in for you and you were trying to ski uphill? Perhaps you had a day where you lost a client or you were publicly humiliated. Or maybe you were in a bad mood for absolutely no reason at all.

On those days, have you noticed how negative your self-talk becomes? “I can’t seem to do anything right. I’m such a loser. Nothing I do is successful. I am a total failure. I am a stupid person. I will never get this.”

Then maybe you rationalized what a loser you are by giving yourself examples of things you did or didn’t do and finding evidence to support your belief in your failure. “How could I have been so stupid as to give those papers to Bill?” or “I can’t believe how horribly I behaved toward Pete in that meeting today. I just lost it. I should learn to control my emotions.” Perhaps someone cut you off in traffic and you yelled at the jerk while waving your hands in unbecoming ways. Or you broke a nail right before going out to an important event.

Are these things really so bad? Is your day so horribly awful? I recently had the opportunity to work with Pat West Turner on her book, Skiing Uphill: A Story of Strength and Perseverance. She is one impressive lady, and she really knows what a bad day is.

At the age of 17, Pat was riding in a car that was involved in an accident with a snowplow. The collision was so severe that the damage to Pat’s body required the eventual amputation of one of her legs. Due to the severe burns to her body and legs, Pat was in the hospital for three months and underwent thirteen surgeries. The doctors advised Pat’s parents that she probably would never walk again.

But walk again she did. And ski again as well. Pat, who had been an avid skier before the accident, learned to ski again with ski equipment called “outriggers.” These consisted of armband crutches mounted on short ski tips to aid in balance. Pat says, “By the end of that first season, I was a much better skier on one ski than I ever was on two."

The next winter, Pat worked at Mission Ridge Ski Slopes as an instructor while she finished her second year of junior college in Wenatchee, Washington. During the year of instructing, she also participated in slalom racing on Mount Hood.

Since three-track skiing was new, there were few women competitors, so she raced against men in the same ability class and won. She later skied on the United States amputee demonstration team for an international ski event, 8th INTERSKI, held in Aspen, Colorado. She was the only woman selected for the team of eight skiers.

In the following years, she won the Salem Jaycees Flying Outriggers race at the Hoodoo Bowl as well as the National Amputee Ski Races at Mount Hood. She also competed in the New Zealand NZSTAR Race, where she won a silver medal. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Central Washington University and became a teacher.

Here are some tips Pat shared with me about how to get past “one of those days.”

1) Honor your feelings, even if they are negative.

2) Be kind to yourself, and show self-compassion.

3) Speak to yourself with dignity and respect.

4) Perform kind acts for others. Pat volunteers to teach other seniors how to paint “kindness rocks.” She also crochets “bookworms” bookmarks and gives them away. Her “bookworms” have now traveled around the world.

Imagine if another person is having a bad day and you shocked them with your kindness by giving them a positive message painted with a cute picture on a rock. Or you handed them a “bookworm” for no reason at all. Chances are you will make a positive difference in someone’s day. They will feel better. And so will you.V

If you would like to read Pat West Turner’s complete story, her book, Skiing Uphill: A Story of Strength and Perseverance, is available on Amazon.com.

Judi Moreo is one of the most recognized personal growth trainers and coaches in the world. Judi will help you discover that you really are More Than Enough to achieve the success you desire. To contact Judi Moreo, email her at judi@judimoreo.com or call (702) 283-4567.