Next week I will be working with an organization that is known for the superior sports  performance eyewear products they make for athletes and those that live an active lifestyle.   It got me to thinking about how sports and competition had impacted my life and although I have participated in a myriad of sports, a particular event stood out.\n\nEvery year there is an international water ski race from Long Beach, California to Catalina Island AND back.  The course is 62 miles in the open ocean.  How do I know?  I raced it.    Most people ask me why in the world would I do something like that.   At the time my answer was “Hey, we got a new boat and I figured I better find some use for it.”    Which was true, but I was also very afraid of the deep blue sea and thought this might be a way to conquer that fear.\n\nI was 6 years into my career quickly catapulting up the corporate ladder and finishing up my graduate degree at the time.   It didn’t help that my 3oth birthday loomed.    I felt up to the challenge.   So was a close friend, Karen Waller, so we entered as a doubles team and started training 8 months before the race.\n

The training was brutal, more lunges and squats than I can count.  The practice was grueling and cold.   Did I mention the sharks? And don’t get me started on the wake the Catalina Flyer puts out.   The race – well it was insane.   200 hundred boats leaving the line at the same time, sometimes I think it’s a miracle we survived.    But we did it!  With style and grace I might add.    After crossing the finish line that day my life was never the same.   Not because I won the championship or a huge “purse” prize, but because I had completed what would seem to many an impossible feat.

\nWhat I learned was  with the right preparation, the right team, the right attitude and some true grit- I can do anything I set my mind to do.    Many times after that day in my role as a leader, and as a parent for that matter, I have been faced with situations that seemed impossible.  But I am always able to reach inside and remind myself, “Hey, if I can get to Catalina and back on an 84″ piece of wood, I handle this.”    That experience has helped me push through some touch and challenging situations and served me well.     As for conquering my fear, it’s not gone, but it’s a more respectful fear knowing the power and strength of the sea than a petrified  “I am going to die for sure if I get in” kind of fear.\n\nWhat pivotal moments do you have in your life that guide how you act and behave today?   Take a moment to answer that question, I am glad I did.