Are you crazy?!
That’s the question many people have asked lately (their word, not mine). Extreme would probably more accurately describe what they’re asking as to say Are you extreme?! or What were you thinking?!
B and I recently stayed in a snow hotel, Lucky Ranch (that’s not what people have been asking if I’m crazy about).
What I’ve found is people either think, “That’s cool” or “Not doing that.”
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from a snow hotel, but I was up for the challenge.
Since we were the first to arrive at Lucky Ranch, we were able to pick out which igloo we wanted.
B opted for the second to largest one with an owl carved into the side wall.
There was a main space, where you ate, played games, used the bathroom, and hung out until it was time for bed.
You received one sleeping bag and one hot water bottle to put by your feet inside the bag. I was unsure whether this was enough to keep me warm. Would this really be enough to keep me warm in -35 degree weather (yes you read that correctly) and overnight?
What was I thinking?!
And this night was the best sleep I had the whole time we were in Finland. Slept soundly, which I didn’t expect. I actually wasn’t cold at all throughout the night.
I slept so well, that the next morning, I turned off my alarm and we were rushing around.
There was one thing I wanted to do before leaving this place, but I needed to hurry to have time for it.
The host takes me to another building, where I quickly change into my bathing suit, take a quick sauna (did you know there are over 300,000 saunas in Finland?!), and then walk down to the lake (in my bathing suit and crocs) in -35 degrees.
I take off the towel and crocs and stand barefoot in a slab of ice.
Then watch what happens next…
So you may be asking too, “What were you thinking?!”
It was too dangerous to stay in the water for a longer time or to submerge my head, so I just had to control my breathing. It’s all about mindset.
Doing a polar plunge was never on my Say Yes list, however, when the opportunity presented itself, I Said Yes.
What I learned is:
- You can do anything for a short length of time—be in below freezing water, stand on a slab of ice (which I think the ice was harder-my feet started numbing), stay in a meeting, or endure traffic.
- Your mind is all that really matters—when you think you can’t do something, whether it’s having a tough conversation, leading a team or undergoing company changes, take some deep breaths and get your breathing on track. This calms your heart and allows a peacefulness to come over you.
- You don’t know what you’re capable of if you don’t Say Yes. If you continue to listen to your brain and Say No (whether something scares you or you’re uncertain what will happen), like stepping into a new work role, volunteering for a project, or reaching a new goal, you’ll never reach your potential or stretch yourself to what’s possible. You’ll live a smaller life than you deserve. Say Yes to all the opportunities to find what’s possible and turn that into probable in your life.
It doesn’t have to be a polar plunge you Say Yes to. It’s can be anything, a new recipe, saying hi to someone new at the office, or stepping into a leadership role. Give yourself the space and grace to mess up and figure things out along the way. Say Yes today and step into a renewed version of you!
Want to get started Saying Yes? Download our free template for how to create your Say Yes list at TheSayYesExperience.com
What will you Say Yes to and challenge yourself (and your mind)?
PS. If you think helping people reach goals, create better habits, and increasing their performance while being inspired and having fun might be a good keynote session at your event, let’s connect 817 523 1529. Looking forward to hearing from you and how I can help your participants ROCK 2024
