The quickest way isn't always the best way

​I've never been snow skiing. But Seth Godin used a snow skiing analogy in a blog post this week that I could relate to.

He said ski slopes are marked by difficulty. A green circle marks the easiest slope - the slope you'll be able to get to the bottom of the quickest.

Godin said many people would ask, why would anyone choose any other slope. But a skier, he said, would ask the exact opposite. They would ask, why would anyone choose the easiest path.

Like I said, I'm not a skier. But I will say, I feel like I've spent a lot of time skiing down the slopes marked with the green circles in life.

But more and more, I find myself looking for the more difficult slopes. Godin said, "the point of skiing isn't to get to the bottom. The point is how it feels on the way there."

Several years ago, I started a podcast. I've continued it intermittently - life has gotten in the way of it recently - but starting that podcast was NOT a green circle slope.

I had no idea what equipment I'd need. I didn't know how to record a conversation in the virtual world (believe it or not, there WAS a time when not everyone knew how to "zoom"). I didn't know how to edit that conversation after I'd recorded it. And I sure had no clue how to share it with the world.

All I knew is I loved listening to podcasts, and I wanted to start one.

The green-circle-slopes Keith would have let the idea of podcasting come and go. He'd have taken the easy route. But in this case, I went looking for the hardest slopes.

Along the way, there were obstacles, unforseen challenges, bone-headed mistakes - oh, there were days podcasting was not pretty.

But more than any of that, along the way there was opportunity. I had the opportunity to talk to some of the most inspiring people I've ever talked to. I got to hear and learn from their stories - many that inspire things I write to this day. And other people listening to those conversations - they said these stories were making them better too.

I didn't get to the bottom of the hill very fast in the podcasting journey, but the way down felt as life-giving as most any slope I'd ever been on.

I have a friend who this week said to me, "I'm sure you can appreciate it when I say that when you have a strong feeling to do something that won't go away, you just have to throw caution to the wind and do it."

There was a day when I wouldn't have been able to appreciate that. I would have leaned far more into caution than into giving myself over to the wind.

But more and more I'm not afraid of the wind. I'm discovering wind doesn't always want to beat against my face - push back on my life. Sometimes the wind is saying, I want to show you this slope over here. Oh, it's full of challenges and obstacles. But you're in for a treat.

The loudest voice in life sometimes seems to be screaming "green circle slopes over here - come and get them!!"

I'm learning that sometimes we need to put our hands over our ears, block that voice, and head over to the black diamond slopes. (I'm not a skiier, but I'm told these are the slopes where you truly throw caution to the wind).

What black diamond slope have you been avoiding? Where have you been afraid to throw caution to the wind?

Where have you chosen the quickest way down at the expense of all you might have felt and experienced taking the long way down?