is better than a bad day anywhere.
today i went climbing at kings bluff in clarksville with a couple of my staff from the crag. the weather was perfect, the rock was dry, and the day couldn’t have gone better. i climbed in a great head space today: no expectations, no ego, no negative self talk. i climbed a route, poison ivy, that had been my mental nemesis for a while and it got me thinking about how much climbing has impacted my life – and not just because i own a climbing gym. even though i’m not a world class climber, i do consider myself to be a pretty good authority on climbing and its benefits. because the day went so well and because i’m looking for a reason to write tonite, i thought i’d make a list of three things that i’ve learned from climbing and how they’ve impacted my non-climbing life.
1. breathe. it goes without saying that breathing is important to climbing, but i’m not just talking about the normal in & out breath. i’m talking about focused, meditative breathing. when you’re on a route and you’re trying to focus and get some clarity, breathing audibly works wonders. it clears your head, fills your lungs, and moves oxygen to your muscles so they can function properly. the same’s true in my everday life. when i’m stressed, tired, or needing to focus, a few deep, clearing, focused breaths tends to make things right. next time you’re all bound up and overwhelmed give it a try.
2. know the difference between falling and letting go. in my world, falling is a great thing. that sounds counterintuitive, sure. after all, its hard to get to the top if you keep falling, right? well, not really. when you fall, it means one of a few things: a) you’re working right at your limit, b) you had a mental or technical slip, c) you let go. its important to know the difference and recognize the reason for the fall. if you’re working at the limits of your talents and abilities, you should expect to falter from time to time. if you weren’t mentally or technically sharp or made a mistake somewhere, you can evaluate what happened, look for the root cause, and correct it. if you let go…well, you gave up. and that’s okay, as long as you don’t let your ego make excuses to try to hide the fact that you let go. in my “real” life, i practice the same thing. everything won’t go well all the time; all you can do is to pay attention to your mistakes, your falls, be honest about their causes, and make the necessary changes to try to eliminate those mistakes.
3. don’t wish; do. i hear climbers all the time say things like, “i wish that hold was closer,” or “i wish that foothold was better.” what a waste of energy! what possible good does wishing do? all you’re doing is focusing on what ISN’T there and why what IS there won’t work. bollocks. rather, focus on what you do have, how you can use it differently, how you can use a different technique, or how you have to improve to actually pull the move. the same goes with your day to day life. don’t just wish you made more money or had a different job. find a way to use what you have, to make yourself better, or to trust yourself enough so you can step out onto the scary parts with confidence and precision. you can do it. and if you can’t, you can at least learn from it.
there you have it: three reasons why i think that climbing is the best sport or activity in the whole world. give it a shot (and i don’t just mean climbing).
