Life Lessons learned while "Rock Climbing"

      Tiffany and I recently went rock climbing in Red River Gorge, KY.  It was an opportunity to add balance to our lives and a cross training activity that we both might enjoy.  Tiffany has climbed before in college, but this was my first time.  She has very little fear of heights, while I am extremely afraid of heights.  We ended up having a great time and celebrated with a few beers.  In the midst of relaxing and settling my post climbing nerves, I came up with the following thoughts.
It's not as hard as it looks.  Once you start, it's not that bad.  You become focused on what you're doing and forget about the height.  Several times my wife would fuss about how challenging the climb looked. Yet once she started she was able to reach the top without too much of a struggle.  She simply focused on the next hole or groove. I find life and training to be very similar.  We get overwhelmed focusing on the outcome or end result, instead of just focusing on the next step.

Tunnel vision.  When you are up on the wall, it's difficulty to see all of your options.  The same thing happens when we face the unexpected.  We can chose to continue focusing on the inconvenience or we can chose to problem solve.  Research has revealed that 15% of our thoughts are random, while 85% are intentional.  That tells me we have a choice on what we continue to think about.

Just take a small step.  In the midst of climbing, the instructor encouraged us to take small steps. Often if we just took a small step, a variety of options would open up to help us reach the top.  I'm learning that in life and in training the little things add up.  It's not the big training days or crash diets, but rather the small consistent efforts that help us achieve our goals.






Duel effort.  Bryan & Tiffany
For anyone interested in rock climbing check out Sky Bridge Station. They offer 5 hours of assisted climbing and will supply you with gear you may need. We also recommend finishing up your day at their restaurant where they offer beer and specialty hot dogs. I really enjoyed Zee German Dog. Delicious!