Scott Skiing at Niseko Mt. Resort Grand Hirafu
It is surreal to realize that my three weeks abroad have come and gone.
This post is broken into two sections: I hope you enjoy my reflection from a first time experience in Japan. Japan Photo GalleryReflection
I achieved one of my childhood dreams ---> Ski powder in Japan with some of my best friends.
I left the United States full of stress, anger and fear; the result of work, life and unhealthy daily habits. I really have no one and nothing to blame for my behavior but me. I often found myself living in the past or future and rarely in the present, let seemingly little things piss me off and just let life get a little out of control. It is a matter of how we manage both the ups and downs of life that show our true character. I see the purpose of my Japan adventure as one to reflect on life and reassess my true character. To find me and set in motion a positive direction for the next chapter of life. As the days and weeks floated by in Japan so did my dark thoughts and feelings. I slowly felt the light drifting back inside. Today, I feel like a new person. I feel like the positive me again. Cleansed from my demons. Filled with energy and motivation to accomplish some of the grandest dreams of my life. Japan provided me with the time and opportunity to get clarity on what my goals truly are for this year and to dream BIG. My dreams are simple, but grand…
In Japan I experienced a large amount of disconnected alone time, which provided me with the ability to reflect on the last 13+ months of my life, resulting in answers to complex questions questions like -
These questions are hard for anyone to ask. It is even harder to find answers. I am so grateful to feel at peace with all of the decision made in the last year. I regret none of them and know that the next chapter of my life will build upon the last. There will be mountains to climb and descend, and I will surely get the opportunity to inspire positive change along the way. Japan was truly the experience of a lifetime and I would not have asked to travel with anyone other than my dear friends Drew and John. We got to experience one of our childhood dreams together and that alone was a blessing. My greatest learning from this experience was that I typically experience three phases during each life experience. Knowing this now helps me connect with feelings and actions to improve my life. It helps me answer some really complex questions about the high and low moments that we all experience in our lives. Three Phases for Life Experiences
Enjoy the photos. ^^^ Scott
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 My unhealthy habits finally caught me. I write this from my bed in Niseko, Japan at the Popcorn Lodge where I sit in a wonderful self inflicted quarantine. I am ill with a body cold. The kind that makes you feel like crap from head to toe. Literally. I hope this is the final chapter of my travels in the sick lane for an extended period of time. In reflection, I realize how physically, mentally and morally sick the last six months have made me. My sickness has ranged from fevers, severe stress and anxiety, things I cannot even describe without a medical diagnosis to idiotic financial expenditures like eating out and drinking far too much. I now realize there have been many recent catastrophic events impacting my health and life. The preceding events will be in my 2015 Reflection. I suffered a severe ski accident on January 3rd that would send most people to the hospital with life threatening injuries for months. I was skiing through the fog at Mt. Bachelor when I hit an unmarked jump and went flying 5-10 feet into the air. The difference between this small flight and others was a lack of preparedness and calculation. I was caught off guard. The momentum my body carried into the impact felt like it was going to be enough to shatter me. My body flew through the fog and I sensed a landing that was not going to be good. I landed chest first on my heart / rib cage, followed by my left shoulder, then my head on a cat track that was solid ice. I paused for a few minutes before being surrounded by my friend Lindsey and a few ski patrollers. I am so grateful that while I was incredibly shaken up I was ok. I take this experience as a sign that I needed some common sense pounded back into my head. That I had been lacking simple yet important things in life like gratitude to self and others. I made a life pivoting decision on January 6th. I was going to give notice to G5; not next week, month or year, but tomorrow. My original intention was to travel to Japan, use my PTO balance, get a promotion, stay at the company for 3-6 months then give notice. Basically, do what my mentors, family and friends advised me to do. I'd been re-reading this message from Steve Jobs posted on the wall in our office for years just questioning if I was one of the crazy ones - Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do. I guess I was ready to stare fear in the face and take action even when everything and everyone seemed to be working against me. - From My Ignite Bend Speech - Back to Nature The writing was on the wall. My time to move into the next chapter of life was here. The page was blank, I just had to start writing and taking action. That evening I prepared what I called “Scott’s Last Lecture” over a few beers. It was emotional to say the least. I felt an incredible chapter of life coming to an end and an unknown one about to begin. “You cannot start writing your next chapter of life if you keep re-reading the last one.” I do not expect you to understand my Why, How or What from “Scott’s Last Lecture”. Maybe it will be part of a conversation we have one day.
In reflection, I realize having the freedom to bounce to my own drum and build something new for the world is what i’ve wanted for a very long time. It is why I went to school for Entrepreneurship and International Business. It is why I went through all the struggles of running my own businesses growing up. It is why I am an athlete and outdoor enthusiast. I look at the last five years not as a negative, but a learning experience. One in which I cannot put a price tag or salary on. I will reflect more later on my near 5 years at G5, but in short I learned 5 simple things --->
I completed my 2 year eye checkup on January 15th. They dilated my pupils, ran some tests, flashed my eyes with some highly technical lights, ran more tests, numbed my eyes, flashed my eyes again then were complete. The details of my procedure are currently unknown to me, but I do know the side effects were unreal. Like nothing I have ever experienced. It was like my eyes were being detoxed and my entire body went into shock. I felt like a different person. I had to wear sun glasses for the next week and a half, during which time I received my ration of crude remarks and odd stairs from friends and strangers. At one point a confrontation with a complete stranger over me wearing my glasses in a bar nearly resulted in a physical fight. I am grateful I was able to settle the dispute verbally. All over a guy wearing shades indoors. Stupid and childish I know. I still have some pretty extreme sensitivity to bright light. On a positive note - I do feel my vision improving along with my overall health. January 17th I moved out of my friends house with the feeling that something had bitten me all over my body... It might have been the gnarly spider I found in my pile of clean laundry. Maybe it was the spiders babies. This drove me completely nuts. I mean 100%. My eyes were in misery, my body felt like it was detoxing and now I was itching everywhere. The next day I spent 6 hours at the laundry mat cleaning all of my belongings and preparing for my trip to Japan.  On January 20th my friend Drew, John and I departed PDX for Japan. We were off on a trip of a lifetime to ski some of the most amazing powder on earth. To follow one of our shared childhood dreams that we had been working toward for years. I felt as though my body was getting healthier and healthier except for a few things - I was sleeping A LOT, I was not eating healthy and I experienced stress often throughout each day. Those elements aside I felt great. These should have been a sign that I needed to complete a sick day checklist ASAP. On the last day of January I created a sick day checklist in my notebook. It was really quite simple:
February 1 I wrote “Today, I am healthy.” twenty one times and sure enough it worked for the day. February 2nd I began feeling a tickle in my throat. I should have taken this as a sign to take the day off, but it was my friends last day in Japan and I really wanted to spend it with them skiing pow at Rusutsu Ski Resort. On February 3rd I felt like complete crap. I had come down with a body cold of aches, pains, coughs, snot rockets and more. Sadly, I did not even have the energy to go to the supermarket and stock up on the super foods that my body desperately needed. I got an ok night of sleep that evening but wished for solitude. For a self inflicted quarantine.   The following evening my wish came true. I was gifted a very quiet room to myself where I could quietly work through my sick day checklist and I am so grateful for it. As I get older I try to start looking for the good in bad situations like being sick, because there is always a doubled edged sword.
As my friend Alexis says - "You can't have the good without the bad." I’ve learned that sick days are great for:
I realize my path is a result of the choices i’ve made, the turns taken and not. My hope is simple ---> That you can learn something from my map of life to make yours what you need it to be for you. To our health, for it is the most important thing we hold. Summit as friends ^^^ Scott Much gratitude for this Japow experience with my friends. As you say in Japanese ---> Sugoi yuki desu! = It's great snow.🇯🇵❄️🇯🇵 Meditation creates free mind space for our accent and decent strategies. Both are critical components to a safe and successful journey.  Summit of Niseko Mt. Resort Grand Hirafu "It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends." - Dumbledoor - Harry Potter   How I made a dream of skiing powder in Japan come true and how you can make your dreams come true too ---> I write this from Niseko, Japan. It is a somewhat surreal experience to reflect on how I got to where I sit today. To realize that my childhood dream of skiing powder in Japan with some of my best friends has come true. I am incredibly grateful for all the support from family, friends and mentors along the way. If you are reading this then you are part of my support group and I thank you. We geared up, caught the shuttle to Base, hopped on the Gondola and began hiking toward G5 aka Gate 5. The moment I stepped into G5 I almost could not believe what was about to happen. My first run in Japan was in a backcountry (BC) zone literally titled the same as a digital marketing company in Bend, Oregon that I have worked with for the past four and a half years. A meant to be moment. G5; Hanazono Gate, Alt. 1050m. Extremely unstable cornices are developing above when G3 and G4 are closed, and traversing to Higashi 1 during that time is especially discouraged. Reflection on How Dreams Come True...In my reflection I found the process used for catching my best of dreams. A process that is simple and can work for you too, if only you are willing to put forth the work. It will take work.
Dream = imagination, ideas, thoughts, visions, or feelings The journey to anything you wish for in life starts with a dream. Your dreams will remain stuck in your mind without a framework and action to make them come true. I am living proof that dreams really do come true… Vision = to create a picture in your mind of something you desire in the future A vision board will help you attract the results you wish to see in your life much faster than otherwise. You will begin training your subconscious mind to take actions toward your vision. As Einstein said - “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.” Goal = result or achievement from directing your energy in a specific direction Setting goals is a critical activity if we wish to move our lives forward. Without a roadmap of where we wish to take our lives we are literally lost in the woods. Where will we go from here? - 2016 is your blank canvas just waiting to be painted. Here is a framework for guiding your daily, weekly, monthly and annual goals. After setting a goal it is important to enjoy the process, because it will take time, sweat and tears to reach your desired destination. I thought of the PBP equation one day in another reflection and it really helps keep your mind set in a positive direction during your journey toward achievement. Plan + Build + Play = Results (P+B+P=R)
"A dream doesn't become reality through magic or by mere luck, it takes sweat, determination, hard work, early mornings, emotions and so much more." To your journey towards catching your dreams..... Summit as friends! ^^^ Scott |
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