Anyone who has clipped into a ski, held a tennis racquet, or jumped from a high dive will tell you that each of these activities is full of excitement and difficulty. A friend once said that his first reverse dive was like pushing “send” on an email you don’t remember writing. Goosebumps. Nerves are not only typical in diving; they are also necessary. Your brain makes the decision in a flash about whether your body leaps headfirst into the blue or backs off the brink. There are times during dive meetings when everything slows down, but the splash says it all. More on Adam McManus Etobicoke

Skiing is a mix of things in the winter. The lift makes a loud noise as it goes up, and snow flies by your boots. Mountains don’t care what you want to do. A well-tuned edge keeps your knee from getting twisted. Zigzagging down, adrenaline pushes away ideas until, yes, there’s that rogue mogul—surprise! Now there’s a reason to stay sharp. Falling is virtually a rite of passage; decent gear helps, but being able to laugh at yourself is worth its weight in gold.

In contrast, tennis is summer in a racket and a fluffy yellow ball. Serve, return, and rally—the rhythm gets you. Tennis tests your tolerance by throwing you into pandemonium all of a sudden. Sometimes an opponent can read your serve like a book they acquired from the library. Sometimes you ace it, and it’s hard to disguise your smile. Court etiquette is important, but hecklers from outside the fence make any amateur match more fun. You will have skinned knees and sunburn.

But the stakes seem strangely similar when you go from sports to business. Think of day trading as a pro skier going down a new glade. You have to make quick decisions, have cold sweats, and be ready for everything. Like Jenga towers, portfolios can fall over. While your coffee cools, the numbers change. You look at the markets the same way skiers look at the clouds before they go skiing. This time, maybe your gut feeling is right. You might ski off-piste and then feel bad about it immediately away. In finance, you need to think ahead, but you also need to be brave.

There is a connection between how preparation builds confidence. Both sports and finance value practice as much as performance. Holding a tennis racquet or a pen while balancing a checkbook are habits that lead to success. When things get unpredictable, game plans don’t matter as much, but they still help you get back up.

Talking to other sports fans and investors shows the same underlying trend. Every choice has a risk. Everyone is looking for the perfect balance between expert guidance and gut feeling. There are a lot of stories about springboards, snowfields, and stock market apps. Every success, loss, or windfall is confirmation that experiences are better teachers than lectures ever could be.

So, whether you’re putting on ski boots or looking at equities, one thing is clear: showing up matters. And sometimes, the best thing to do is just get right in.