Life and its rhythms...

Some days are slow, with little happening, while other days are simply crazy, with tons of unforeseen events and a frenzied emotional roller-coaster ride.

Yet, the art of living is to always make the best of these vastly varying situations by never panicking or getting bored, by being either patient or planning wisely, and - at the opposite end of the spectrum - by making swift choices and setting the right priorities.

A process helped more by a deep life experience than by sheer natural talent!

Folks who can't take notes...

On a daily basis, I'm confronted with business people who run complex projects and yet seem totally incapable of taking notes. So what happens is no surprise, things fall constantly through the cracks, deadlines are missed and huge mistakes are made.

Their smart phone can't do it all and unless people make the effort to write things down (even on their electronic devices) they can't effectively manage their day-to-day activities.

The French are a bit anal-retentive when it comes to taking notes, but right there is probably one of them best managerial skills!

Building the hard way...

There are situations in life that demand more stamina and more determination than others. Sometimes when it rains, it pours, and yet, life must go on. So we regroup, restore our faith into what we're doing, resolve the immediate problem, fix the infrastructure, change the systems, take some chances and go on.

Most importantly, each hurdle teaches us a valuable lesson. And because this teaching is laden with emotion, it makes a lasting imprint deep into our memories. This is not just what happen when we're building “things”, but also whenever we keep running onto stumbling blocks in the course of our daily lives.

If it doesn't kill us, it makes us stronger and we simply have to carry on!

Building the easy way...

Yesterday, my grandson and I played home-builders for a while with a back-hoe and pretended we were digging some foundations. All went very smoothly.

No problem, no cost over-run and absolutely no delay, just fantastic houses!

We should really start a building company the two of us. We both would be in charge and everything would run smoothly. After all business success is all about getting along and having a smart team.

Let's begin tomorrow.

Ligety and the Frenchmen...

The more things change, the more they stay the same and Ted Ligety seemed to prove that, again, today in Sölden.

His victory was complete and while the French were formidable in their group performance, this opener might set the stage for a season when the podium is mostly populated by Hirscher, Pinturault and Ligety. Way to go Park City's Ted Ligety, and “vive la France!”

Dealing with the Devil?

Another crazy idea of mine. Imagine a Shaman that can make almost anything happen for you; like cure you of your chronic back-pain, make you a scratch golf player, give you financial independence or get love from someone you're secretly desiring, etc.

All of that is part of our imaginary world, but let's say for a second that with the right Craft, it's become possible, only with just one caveat: You've got to give up some time on this earth.

The Shaman would know and tell you something like “To become an incredible powder skier, this would cost you two years out of your total life expectancy...” or, "...getting that extra week of vacation might only cost you six month," etc.

The question of the day is would you do it? Also, would you do it more than once? Would you stay away from that bargain with the Devil or plunge into that spooky deal mindlessly?

Alexis Saudan, 1932–2013

Alexis Saudan, 1933–2013 The former Ski Professor at Chamonix ENSA, passed away on October 23, 2013, stricken by cancer. My heartfelt condolences to his daughter and to Monique Boyelle. I'm glad I spoke with him, on the phone, on September 30 and that my good friends Gérard Bouvier and Léon Empereur made the trip to say a final goodbye to Alexis less than 10 days before his departure.

 He was a calm, soft-spoken and steady individual, just what it took for the game of golf that he adored during his retirement from skiing.

Back in 1971, Alexis gave me a chance to join his ski instructors team in Australia for two winter seasons, down-under. This opportunities opened many door to me and had a huge influence on what I've done during my career and who I am today. Thank you Alexis!