Life Lessons in Simple Challenges

At Heavenly Valley ski resort in South Lake Tahoe, California there’s a black diamond run called, “Gunbarrel.” When I was a kid, my dad used to talk about this run as if it was “un-skiable.” You’d have to be a maniac to ski “Gunbarrel” from top to bottom, that or be willing to face a certain death, according to Ed Heil Sr. Well, I skied it as an 11-year old and amazingly I survived. In fact, I can’t think of a ski run that I wouldn’t go down.

It’s interesting how moments like this teach you things about yourself as you go through life. I was terrified, but survived to tell the story. We can live life without challenging ourselves and be totally content, but what opportunities might we miss if we don’t put ourselves “out there.” Looking down “Gunbarrel” is still a little daunting, but looking up when you’re done is pure satisfaction.

Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media and crisis communications. Follow Ed on Twitter @erheil.

Tags: Edward Heil Sr., Gunbarrel, Heavenly Valley, ski

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