“No man ever steps in the same river twice. For it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man.”
I’ve always loved this quote from the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Heraclitus, but it was only last weekend that its meaning became viscerally clear to me.
I was visiting a friend in the snowy mountains of Switzerland and decided to go snowboarding for a day.
You see, I hadn’t been on a snowboard in 18 years, and my memory of my skills wasn’t exactly brilliant. Sure, I could get down the slopes, I could turn, and I probably looked reasonably cool—but I wasn’t fully enjoying it. Most of the time, I felt unsure of myself, comparing my abilities to others, wanting to be better, and worrying about falling. All of that was in my head, which might explain why, when I moved to Asia in 2008, I unconsciously used it as an excuse to stop snowboarding altogether.
Now, here I was, back in the mountains, surrounded by friends who spent most of their winters on the slopes. Obviously, I had to get back on the board.
The guy at the rental shop reassured me: “It’s just like riding a bike. You never forget.” But part of me wanted to forget—because my memories were wrapped in self-doubt.
I strapped in. The first thing I had forgotten? How bloody awkward that front foot placement is. Ouch.
Then, the slopes. I started small. But almost immediately, I had it. My friends were amazed. I was amazed. Up and down the big runs—no falls, no fear. Just a massive grin on my face.
Of course, muscle memory plays a role. In that sense, yes, it is like riding a bike. But what amazed me wasn’t my body—it was my mind. Despite not snowboarding for 18 years, I felt far more confident and had way more fun than I ever remembered. It was as if I had been carrying the experience of someone else—me, 18 years ago. A different person. Or at least, a different way of being. This time, I related to snowboarding in a whole new way. It was magical.
In coaching, I often work with clients on limiting beliefs—especially how past experiences shape how they perceive things now. I hear things like “I could never do x, or I never liked y or that’s just not possible for me”
But our experiences are ultimately an inside job. As we work on ourselves, the way we relate to everything changes. Shift the context, change the underlying beliefs, and suddenly, everything looks different.
So, to borrow from Heraclitus: No man ever steps onto the same ski slope twice, for it is not the same slope, and he is not the same man.
And just for the record—two weeks later, my body definitely reminded me that I am not the same man physically either…my legs are screwed and I’m meant to be going hiking next week…
