Do your Pizza

"How do i stop? I can't stop". "All i can do is fall on my back and it is almost impossible to get up with these heavy boots on", I said with frustrated look of a 5 year old after falling down at least a dozen times and embarrassed myself with the inability to get back up.

"Do your Pizza". "The bigger the wedge the slower you go, the better you have the control", said Steve. My Ski instructor of the day.

I avoided myself from Skiing for more than 6 years of my entire non-tropical life in U.S (Boston, Jersey, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and back in Boston again). "What's the point? you go slide slopes in subzero temperatures with a very least probability of not breaking bones or at least not spraining a muscle" is what i used to think to myself whenever anyone including my wife offered to go Ski until i had to finally try it for the first time.

I have to say now with sore shoulders, back, calves and with the pain in some muscles I din’t even know that they exist that skiing is actually lot of fun. Here are four things I learned on my first day of skiing about trying new things in life.

1.      Screw your over confidence. Nothing is easy.

After signing the paperwork, we put the massive hard ass boots on, grabbed the skis, poles and headed to learners base with heavy steps where the instructor started to explain the basic what’s and how’s. I was thinking in my head with an evil grin while half-listening to him, “I must be the only natural born Skier in this whole they-don’t-know-shit group which in fact includes my wife, her colleagues and their spouses”.

Before putting the skis on, he made us do the usual walking, circles, side-stepping and I am like, "Yeah, I am killing this and these people will be awe-struck as soon as I put my skis and start skiing like a natural". Then, Steve asked us to put the skis on so that we can do little glides.

I snapped my boots into the skis and the obvious happened. I fell flat on my back. I was trying to get back up with my skis on and instructor recommended, “You will be better off if you remove them and get up”. It took three embarrassing minutes and two of “don’t-know-shit” groupies to have me back on my feet. Then I thought, it must be something else not me until I fell again two more times once under 15 seconds and another under 10 seconds after getting back up on my feet.  BAM, BAM, THUD. F**k me.

2.      Nothing is easy but..

And this saga of falling down, removing the skis and getting up continued for next 1 hour. I was so discouraged by this time and rest of my group were ready and excited to go to the beginners slope(next stage) because they did pretty well when compared to me as they almost never fell in the whole one hour of practice there.

Steve, a retired software programmer in his late 50’s had a ton of patience which I am not used to especially from teachers, approached me and said. “I understand your frustration”. “It’s not easy. It was not easy for me first time neither. But, believe me Skiing is one of the toughest to learn and one of the most rewarding thing to do”. “You will be fine. Let’s go to the beginners slope with others because you have more range there for you to glide”.

"How do i stop? I can't stop". I cannot control myself while gliding and can’t stop myself when I want to and all i can do is fall on my back and it is almost impossible to get up with these heavy boots on".

"Do your Pizza". "The bigger the wedge the slower you go, the better you have the control".

“Do your Pizza” is one of the most common phrases you listen in a ski resort. It is basically spreading your legs and crossing your front part of the skis to face each other diagonally but not intersect so that the edges of the skis touch the snow to provide friction and slows the skier and eventually makes him/her stop rather than letting the bottom smooth surface of the skis take the lead all the time which helps to glide.

This kid is making some cool pizzas!

“Even the Pizza does not work! I am unable to stop even by doing the pizza”, I said. “Don’t worry, your body will learn by itself how to do it”. “Keep doing it” he said.

Then, I denied to go with rest of the group by telling the instructor that I am not ready yet. I was the lonely survivor at the base doing my bad pizzas, falling down and staring at 6 year olds to 65 year olds skiing, doing back flips and other crazy stuff so seamlessly and wondering, “Is this for real?? This shit is not easy!”.

But, I got up again and did NOT GIVE UP on my PIZZA.

3.      Actually, Things are easy.

I might have oversold the above point. Actually, things get easier or at least they don’t seem as tougher once you invest few hours in to it.

After about 3 to 4 hours, I started to see some progress myself. I was falling less. I finally am able to do my O.K. pizzas. I am finally able to stop (control) myself. I learnt a very valuable lesson from this experience that once I put 4 hours in to it some magic happened.

I think the problem with lot of people why they don’t pursue and get good at something is they try something, they fail and they give up. They get discouraged. I think the key is to stick to it for at least 4 to 5 hours.

When you try something new you are bound to fail. I believe universe is designed that way. You will fail. I failed. I keep failing at stuff but I decided to commit myself to at least 5 to 10 hours when trying new stuff.

Now, I am ready to join the group in beginners slope. Oh! But it is lunch time. I am ready for a slice of pepperoni pizza before I go join the group.

4.      Let it go.

Sometimes to get better at things, you should not hold on to things. You should let them go.

Generally, when we do new things we tend to be cautious. We tend to be protective. We want to not fail. When I am finally at the beginners slope with the group I did not stop falling. I was doing O.K pizzas but not the best pizzas. Because I was holding tight on to my Pizza maneuver and trying to be more rigid with the pizza stance.

Once I started to let it go, be more casual and easy with my legs I started doing much better. So, let it go. Let it flow.

I am so glad that I gave skiing a try. I just can’t wait to explore and learn new things. I just can’t wait to go back and do more pizzas.