While I was climbing

A short story about climbing and life

There aren’t as many distinct thresholds when climbing a cliff, either you get to the top or you don’t (in which case you’ll end up falling to the ground). Well, it just turns out that life is no more different.

A few years ago, I started rock climbing and I loved it. Here are some things climbing can teach us about life.

I was going to fall, and..

One day, while I was climbing, I arrived to what is called the hardest part of the cliff. There, I was only holding using three fingers from my right hand in an awkward position. My hands started feeling so tired and sweaty and I thought “Well, crap..”. Then, I decided I just had to keep moving. So I raised my left leg, pushed with the right leg and pulled as hard as I could with my hands. And then, well “Crap!”. I fell.

Pretty cool story, right? But when I just started thinking about it, I actually realized that I decided I couldn’t go any further even before I got tired. It’s like your mind starts telling you that you cannot possibly get through the hard part. That feeling is so intense that you may want to fall before even arriving to that part. And even if you get there you still believe that you are obviously falling.

“I got through the hardest parts by focusing on how hard they were rather than how I can actually get through”, said no man ever!

Being safe is too risky

The way to go safe while climbing is taking the safe grips where you can easily hold. However, there are very few cliffs where good grips can get you to the top and sometimes the only way to get there is by pinching with your fingers.

Though there might be an easy way up, if you try to go safe, you will have to lower your rate and you will get tired at the middle of the road. And when climbing you are better off not getting tired.

Momentum is very important, keep moving and keep focused because sometimes you might even have to jump.

This doesn’t mean you should rush it, it just means that sometimes the only way to get through is not necessarily the easy way.

Fear is not your ally

If you let your fear interfere (And no I did not make this rhyme on purpose) it is going to take the best out of you. Being afraid is obviously not helping. Still, most people do not hesitate to be afraid. And if you’re not convinced yet, then just go grab a bag full of spiders (I have no idea where you can find such a bag) and instead of asking some people if they are afraid of spiders, just open the bag and they will be so generous showing off how afraid they are. Okay, that is absolutely a bad idea, so just forget about it, but what’s the point. Well the point is screaming will not make the spiders disappear.

Looking farther

You’d better have a plan. Go with your head down and you won’t realize it until you find yourself trapped in a wrong path.

The little things that matter

It’s good to have a plan. But, you’ve also got to focus on the little steps you’re taking. While you’re thinking about the hardest part of the cliff you may slip on one of the easiest parts and that is just not so good. Do not miss the little things while thinking about your goal.

Okay, sometimes you just have to face it

Learn to let go. Sometimes, you just have to let go and try again.

Letting go is not that easy. When you let go you may get yourself injured. So if letting go is the only way out, take your time to think, take a deep breath and just do it.

It is good to go alone, you will learn to keep holding when you lost all of your force. On the other hand, because sometimes you will need someone to catch you when you fall or someone to encourage you when in doubt it is a good thing to have some people around.

While you are climbing, keep that in mind..