Imagine…
December 19, 2006 | 1:28 pm
When the snow falls in the mountains, I get e-mail. You see, I can’t get enough so I subscribe to the various snow report e-mails from my local areas and those I’ll visit during the season for longer periods. This week, it’s been snowing in the central Rockies, and I’ve gotten e-mails like the one yesterday that said, “12 inches of new snow at Beaver Creek!”
Just seeing that subject line on the e-mail sends my mind on a journey of imagination thinking about the sensations and delight of skiing that much fresh powder. While I wasn’t able to be there yesterday, imagining the experience moves me forward into thoughts of my next trip to the mountains and preparation for it.
This is how our imagination works, drawing us forward into an envisioned future. It works this way in everything in our lives. If we envision possibilities that we fear (like we do when we worry), we move in that direction. When we envision possibilities that delight us, we move there. It’s fascinating, but true, that, as Earl Nightingale recorded in The Strangest Secret, “We become what we think about.” It is our imagination that moves us.
I’ll be skiing tomorrow. I can see it now. The snow will be soft, with perhaps more falling from the sky. I’ll be wearing my uniform and sharing the time with a group of skiers. We’ll find various places to play. When will you ski next?
Let’s go!
Posted by: — Stephen Hultquist
| Comments (0)
Basketball Season is in Full Swing…
December 18, 2006 | 5:07 pm
Basketball season is currently in full swing, and people from all over the world are beginning to take notice once again. In fact, a couple of well known contributors to my book, Open your Heart with Basketball, are off to a good start…
University of Arizona Head Men’s Basketball Coach Lute Olson supplied the foreword for Open your Heart with Basketball. The Wildcats are off to an 8-1 start and currently ranked #9 in the country.
Additionally, broadcast legend Dick Vitale is once again announcing games a couple of times a week on ESPN. Vitale provided a cover quote for the book, and is one of the nicest people you will ever meet!
Keep one eye on ESPN to catch a glimpse of these two guys…
Posted by: — cbibey
| Comments (0)
Baby steps
| 1:33 pm
I was thinking this morning about the tendency we have to bite off more than we can chew. This applies to a wide variety of activities in life, from eating to skiing… to writing a book. While on a date with my lovely bride on Saturday night, she observed a diner sitting near us who carved two-inch square chunks from his prime rib and stuffed them into his mouth, chomping on them with the unsightly bulge showing in his cheeks. While not what you’d expect to see in a fine French restaurant in Boulder, perhaps not that uncommon any more as so many try to find ways to get more, do more, and eat more.
For me, I’m thinking about this in two areas of my life right now: my skiing and my labors. You see, as an independent leadership and business coach, I have clients who are discovering just how much they can do to improve their leadership skills and see clear results in their businesses and organizations. They would like to just do it all at once. But, it doesn’t work that way. Similarly, as I’m writing Open Your Heart With Skiing, I can only write a letter, a word, a paragraph at a time, not entire chapters. It’s especially challenging when the ideas coming pouring out!
In my skiing, similarly, it’s easy to find so many things to change. I have seen well-meaning friends try to teach a skier to improve, only to give them so many areas to consider that they becoming overwhelmed. The best instructors I know provide simple almost trivial concepts that have dramatic impact. It’s all about taking small steps every day.
So, that’s what I’m doing in my skiing, my writing, and my coaching. What do you want to get done? How are you approaching it?
Let’s go!
Posted by: — Stephen Hultquist
| Comments (0)
How much snow do you need?
December 17, 2006 | 5:47 pm
Many of my closest Internet friends are visiting Stowe this weekend for a two-day instructional warm-up at the EpicSki Academy Eastern Weekend (see http://esa.epicski.com/ for more on the ESA). Early season at Stowe right now is a bit thin in the snow department. They have only seven marked trails open, with a base ranging from 0″-8″ on the natural snow trails to 20″ to 32″ on the tails with snowmaking (isn’t it amazing how much snow they can make?). But, my friends are there, skiing and loving it.
Skiing is so magical that it can overcome conditions, weather, available terrain, and even a lack of companions.
Much like life, isn’t it? How much snow do you need?
Let’s go!
Posted by: — Stephen Hultquist
| Comments (0)
Orbitz Insider
| 3:14 am
Okay. I was not going to tell you about this, but then, when they announced my name at the end of the podcasts, I figured that I better.
Go to orbitzinsider.com, and listen to the Aspen and Vail Podcasts. Yes…I wrote them. No…that’s not my voice. They wanted irreverent. They wanted really, really irreverent.
I gave them irreverent!
Posted by: — lmercer
| Comments (1)
Skiing is the equipment, too
December 16, 2006 | 7:30 pm
As a leadership and business coach, I seldom work with my hands, leaning instead on my thinking processes, my speaking skills, and use of computers to accomplish the tasks at hand. When I’m skiing, I get to engage my body to contribute to my enjoyment, and using my skills I’m able to do what I am interested in doing. Before I ski, though, I get to use my hands–on my equipment.
Ski gear is big and bulky for the most part. Skis are long and can be unwieldy, especially when you’ve not learned how to handle them. Boots are bulky plastic cases into which you shove your feet. Bindings are annoying clips that don’t always close you onto the skis as you’d like.
But, you can change some of the way you feel about your equipment.
Many passionate skiers will start putting boots on in the late summer to begin to get the bug for skiing. Smart ones will take a visit to one of the truly premier boot specialists to get a tune-up of fit and balance. Bindings need to be checked to make sure that they are still functioning correctly. And it’s nice to have your skis tuned.
But, I like to tune my skis myself. When I do, I connect with them. I get to know them. I feel and improve the sharpness of the edges. I smooth and wax the plastic bases. I check them to make sure that there aren’t any issues with them that I can see. I use my hands and I connect with something deeper–that craftsman within. Skis bring that out in me.
Have you ever really looked at your ski equipment? Did you know you can keep it new longer? Want to try it?
Let’s go!
Posted by: — Stephen Hultquist
| Comments (0)
I’m excited to be a part of this!
| 1:29 am
First of all, I’d like to say that writing this book, Open Your Heart with Singing: Mastering Life Through the Love of Song was a very wonderful experience for me. I am not a professional or even (at this point in my life) an amateur vocalist. I just love to sing…and I don’t do enough of it. I never thought I would be writing a book on the subject, as I didn’t think there would be enough to write about from within my personal knowledge base. But when I began to reflect on my life I found a ton of examples of times when I was singing and it uplifted me in some way. Yes, I had some performance singing experiences, but most of the time I was just singing for myself or listening to music for other reasons. I have helped people with the fear of singing put it behind them long enough to sing a tune in front of others. And I’ve worked with those that have problems being on-pitch reach the notes of the song they were singing. I don’t know exactly how I did it each time, but mission accomplished. I believe that most people can sing well if they want to.
I am a psychic counselor by vocation. This means that I use my intuitive abilities to assist others in their lives. I can open up to the sixth sense more easily than others do I suppose. And in this way I am able to see what might be ahead for a client, or what might be plaguing him or her in the moment, or a past issue that isn’t yet resolved. But most recently I’ve been counseling people that have gotten back into singing in choral groups and it’s fascinating. Their lives are becoming rich again. They’re finding zest for life that they left behind when they quit singing. What a beautiful thing. It is important to sing, at least in the privacy of the shower or car. And it’s beneficial to listen to music, as it stimulates the body, mind and spirit.
Secondly, I’d like to say how much I appreciate DreamTime Publishing for putting out such a rewarding series of books. There are many great authors in this series, and they all know their topics quite well. I know there will also be many more books to come on many different topics, so enjoy them all. It’s wonderful to take something that is a hobby or an interest and allow it to “Open Your Heart”, making you the “Master of your Life!”
Posted by: — jkennedy
| Comments (0)
Anticipation…
December 15, 2006 | 1:46 pm
Living in the Front Range of Colorado means that I can look outside and see the mountains. On days like today, the promise of snow is obvious. The snow clouds hang low on the peaks, hugging the mountains and leaving blue sky above them. Beneath those rolling clouds, the snow is falling heavily, giving those blessed enough to be skiing today a joyful romp in fresh snow.
For me, the snow of this week and promise of more over the weekend add to the anticipation. I’ll be skiing on Monday with my two daughters. We’ll wake early, head up to Copper, and spend the day playing around and finding adventure. Even though we’ll be taking it easy on their first day out, I know that I’ll have a great time. I’ve learned that in skiing, as in life, we can enjoy the opportunities to slow down. We learn more when we’re not rushing through. On skis, slowing down our pace will reveal areas of technique and skill that could use some further development. When do you start to lose your balance? When does it get hard to tip the skis? Are you trying to force them to turn, or letting the ski cut the arc into the snow?
The questions reveal more about skiing and more about us. The anticipation isn’t just for the skiing, it’s also for the self discovery.
I can’t wait. How about you?
Let’s go!
Posted by: — Stephen Hultquist
| Comments (0)
An Offer You Can’t Refuse!
December 14, 2006 | 2:17 pm
Hey Folks! If are a planning to ski in Summit County Colorado this winter, here’s an offer you can’t refuse. Show proof of purchase of my book, Open Your Heart With WInter Fitness, and receive a coupon for a free class at me Frisco studio, Mountain Sport Pilates and Fitness.
To sweeten the deal, I’ll throw in a discounted lift ticket to Copper Mountain.
Posted by: — lmercer
| Comments (0)
Iguazu Photo
| 2:11 pm
Hey Folks!
Here’s a picture of me at Iguazu Falls Argentina:
Posted by: — lmercer
| Comments (0)
« Previous Page — Next Page »
|
|
|
