213. Learning from Looking at Life on the Slopes at 50km per Hour

Forced out of a retail career that was troubling her more each day, PollyEsther signed up with an employment agency. She was sent to work for a plant nursery. “All of a sudden I found that as a child I had absorbed so much information about gardening from my Mom.” Her depression lifted. “I absolutely loved it! My wages dropped a little bit, so financially I went backward. But in happiness, I went five steps forward.”

After rediscovering her love of being outdoors, she was at loose ends when the growing season ended and her nursery work ended. One Easter, while on a mountain holiday, she asked a neighbor if there were any job opportunities there, and was told, “Check the website for Mount Hotham,” a large ski resort located in Victoria, Australia. Memories and skills from her childhood ice skating on lakes and skiing in The Netherlands came to her aid. She landed the job she loves as a ski instructor.

Everyone has this thing that they have to do, something that’s meaningful to them. They have to have a purpose. I think that’s what I’ve found. I love teaching people skiing who are timid or fearful, and helping them overcome that fear, making them happy with their achievements, and changing their lives in a small way.

1. Ask yourself the deep inner questions and listen for the answer.

2. Be prepared to be surprised by the unlikely ways you receive your answers.

3. Tap into that power that’s inside all of us, whatever you call it, and respond with gratitude whenever you see it in action.

Looking @ Life: A Woman’s Journey of Re-Learning to See the Magic in Everyday Events, by PollyEsther