I’ve had some mental ups and downs as this season begins: Excitement, nerves, financial concern, jealousy, fomo, happiness, etc. Last night sort of gelled my overall belief system about snow sports instruction. Please allow me to share it with you. 

I stopped in PA to see my family who’s up from FL. Spent the night at my sisters and will be continuing on to VT today in order to attend ProJam this week. I bunked on her couch and had a dream about ProJam. 
In the dream, the snow was amazing. People were skiing phenomenally. And my eyes were like microscopes: I could see every nuance to the examiners, national team members, and masters academy skiing. I decided with my super power eyes that instead of my normal Wednesday optional session, I would take the Wednesday afternoon session for video of my skiing. 
When I got and saw the footage of myself…I was initially a bit shocked: I was so far away from the level 3 standard (not that I know even exactly where that line is). Everything I thought felt SO athletic and dynamic and dialed in….was instead like watching a junior high level athlete compared to a pro. 
BUT my reaction in my dream was not one of being crestfallen or of heartbreak. Instead, I was EXCITED at the progress I saw I had made from years past. I felt PROUD of all I had learned and that my eye had now developed to a point where I could see the changes I needed to make from the video compared to the other accomplished skiers on the mountain I had been watching. I felt a calm sense of RESOLVE to continuing my path and I felt a genuine feeling of gratitude for all I knew I would learn and experience along the rest of my journey. 
Disappointment is a legitimate feeling. All your feelings are legitimate. I’m not sitting here to tell you that if you fail an exam (or if/when I fail an exam) that you shouldn’t feel disappointed or sad or even angry for a while. Feel those emotions. But then try to shift the perspective once the feeling has passed. Look at all you’ve accomplished and you’ll get to experience along the rest of your journey. 
I’ll often have beginner students in a class who could become frustrated by having one turn be less strong than another, or by having more struggles finding balance as they slide than someone else in the group. I try to take opportunities to point out things they’re doing well and things they’ve accomplished. After the first 3-4 turns on the beginner hill…I always have the group look back uphill to where they started and point out what they’ve conquered so far.
While I can’t always keep perfect perspective, that dream was a very timely reminder for me of all I’ve accomplished and all I’ll get to experience. It put me in the perfect mindset for ProJam and to really get my season underway.