I'm an avid snowboarder - its just what I do here in Colorado. I decided to go up to the mountains and really hit it hard this past weekend with a couple other BCG team mates. It was President's Day weekend, so the crowds were thick. A friend of mine and I decided to take to some back-country and peak hikes instead of wade through the masses. We wanted the real fresh pow that was untouched.

One of the lifts drops you off toward the top of one peak, but then you can take the option of hiking beyond. When you are in snowboard boots at 13,000 feet, hiking is, well, you know - hard. But there was the peak, high above...

One foot after another . . . the journey is exhausting, I wonder if it is even going to be worth it. Hope is my fuel . . . with a vision of how great the ride is going to be once you get to the top. I have felt this feeling many times in my ventures in business, but this day I could feel it physically. Were we embarking on something dangerous? Something that would hurt or worse . . .

After about an hour I reached the peak . . . oh man! After all of the hard work to get to the top, I had no idea that my exhaustion was going to be replaced with absolute fear. It was windy, it was cold, wait, scratch that, it was freezing. There were vertical drops on both sides and nothing forgiving about what was around me.

Being at the top of a mountain, out of breath, legs burning, and my mind racing about what is to come next reminds me of my early days as a BC Partner. All of this work to just get my business up and running and then what? Oh, yeah, you want me to jump off that cliff over there and just dive in. That is exactly what was happening to me on Saturday morning. I was freaked out, I was scared.

Then, as I looked over the edge, a wave of tranquility came over me. I remembered that this is what life is all about: taking chances and going for it! If I don't give it my all, then I would end up walking back to the lodge and my mouth would be shut when someone asked how my day was. I wasn't about to have gone through all of the hard work to just turn around. No sir. I stood up, inhaled, dropped into the bowl...

There was a rush of adrenalin. A couple of turns and then I was done with the vertical steep . . . I acclimated to what was next. A deep and steep set of powder surrounded by the most beautiful mountain ranges the world has to offer. My fear and adrenaline replaced with confidence and excitement. On top of that I was more aware than I was before, my senses were running on all cylinders. I took a chance, didn't die, and then had my spoils right in front of me. Time to let it rip!

The following minutes were epic. Big turns, jumps, and lots of untapped powder. I was reminded that hard work alone isn't enough. I need to have guts to make the big decisions and move risk aside to enjoy the life that is around me.

It's beyond Business Catalyst for us here at BC Gurus. What we are here to do for you as BC Partners is to inspire you to not only work hard, but have the guts to do big things for your business. I want to give you fuel so that you have strength to climb mountains, take risks, and live a great life. I am jumping in with you - ready to take this community to the next level. Are you ready?

Looking back at the ride, it felt refreshing. So refreshing, that I decided to do it all over again once I got to the bottom :)