🧊ICE ICE BABY!🧊
Last week, I was in Finland working with representatives from Nokia and other tech companies. One of the days was spent at the Nokia Båtvik Training Centre on the Baltic Sea, west of Helsinki.
It's a beautiful facility in a beautiful location. And, being in Finland, it is equipped with a couple of saunas. So at the end of the day, it was time to relax, Finnish style. And that means sauna and sea.
Because it is so far north, the little bay on which the training centre is located was still covered in ice. But there was a thin sliver of open water next to the dock. And so it was sauna and sea, sauna and sea ... 5 times!
The first time, I could only stay in the water about 10 seconds. It was so cold! 🥶
But with each successive foray into the icy sea, I could stay longer and longer. By the fifth time, it was about a minute. Had the space not been cramped—you had to squat down in shallow water—it would have been nice to swim around a bit.
The experience is a lot like learning to speak in public. The first time will be challenging and uncomfortable. But the more you do it, the easier it becomes. And while speaking in public, like swimming in ice water, will always come with a few nerves and a bit of shock, the effect is invigorating and exhilarating.
And if you can have a hot sauna at the end, that is a bonus!
#publicspeaking #challenge #finland #ice
Ah, but you haven’t truly nailed the silent nod until you can do it without the smile (and still look friendly) 😉