Over the March Break, we were lucky enough to get together with family at Mont Tremblant in Quebec, which is about 2 hours or so from our house. My son had gone skiing on a couple of school trips this year, and his cousins and uncles were anxious to get him out on a ‘real’ hill before the end of the season, so we popped up Saturday afternoon. 

As I stood at the bottom of the covered gondola watching him go waaayyyyy up to the top of the hill, I was both excited and nervous. The next time I saw him was over an hour later, and he was beaming. I’m happy to report that he had an awesome time. He skied for several hours, and did very well by all reports. He is definitely hooked, and is primed and ready for next season! We are even going to ski with him next year.

So now that the snow is definitely gone here, I have been reflecting on that trip (daydreaming of a longer holiday soon, no doubt!).

I always think that the simple things in life teach us great lessons. The lesson that I am taking from that ski trip is definitely simple:

• Learn something new (a new skill or service)
• Practice it often to perfect your technique
• Start slowly but don’t be afraid to push yourself
• If you LOVE it, be sure to find opportunities to keep doing it

And if you stop loving it and it stops challenging you for some reason, then it’s time to learn something new.

That’s not to say that you should move along everytime something gets boring, but it’s important to keep challenging yourself to keep your work interesting. One of my favourite quotes (I have it hanging in my office) is from Aristotle, “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”

If you love what you do, then you will love to go to work everyday. So if there is a task you don’t love to do anymore, outsource it! If there is a client who doesn’t fit with your vision anymore, refer them to someone new. If there is a procedure that you are using that isn’t working like it used to, explore new options.

The idea is to keep things fresh – spring is a great time to take a look at various parts of your business and make changes where necessary!

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