You are a stud! (or studdette, or whatever other designation you prefer as an expression of your awesomeness).
How do I know? Because it is now February and you are reading a climbing blog . . . which means you are likely also still climbing! And that means that climbing is not just another lame bucket list item to you. You are officially a real climber! (You ROCK!)
Almost 50% of individuals give up on their New Year’s resolutions by February! Can you believe that? Thirty days and they are like, ‘Ya, whatever; think I’ll go back to being a coke-sipping, couch-sitting, Golden Arch worshiper back on my pansy-ass downward spiral to self-hatred and excuse making.’ (Ouch, that was maybe a bit critical . . . NAAAAHHHHHH! 🤣)
But hey: THAT’S NOT YOU! Maybe climbing was a New Year’s resolution and maybe it was a choice made years ago; but whichever it was, you are still living the life: pullin’ down on ridiculously small pieces of plastic, engaging core muscles most people don’t even know they have, looking fear in the face and laughing as you reach that final hold to the sound of good friends and even a few strangers whooping and hollering like a bunch of groupies at a Green Day concert.
It feels good, doesn’t it? You’re getting stronger. Technique keeps improving. Those routes and problems that once seemed impossible to you are now your warm up routes! And you’ve found your people: those who think and dream as you do, who believe anything is possible and who refuse to let the words “I can’t” slip over their lips (for fear the Naise will make them do burpees with the climbing team 😧).
At this rate, come June and July, you will be a chiseled Adonis! (Ya baby, that’s what I’m talkin’ about 💪).
So the point of this blog is simply to encourage you to stick with it; whatever it is. We all have dreams. We all have visions for our lives. We all make resolutions for a better, healthier, more complete and connected life; regardless of whether they have any relationship to January 1 or not.
But here’s the problem with dreams: they are dreams because they seem big to us, maybe even impossible. They seem so far away. And although we would love to accomplish them, their bigness can also work against us. It can make us feel as if we are really not getting any closer at all.
I’ve hiked a number of Colorados 14ers (14,000 foot peaks). The challenge is that you can hike for hours and hours, and that peak doesn’t look any closer. And your feet start hurting. And you’re hungry. And the air is getting thin.
Life is kinda like that too, isn’t it? And so is fitness, friendships, health, and yes, climbing. They can all seem like the goal is still too far away. And it can be very easy to find multiple reasons to quit.
The key is enjoying the journey. Stop gazing at the peak; enjoy the fresh air, the cool breeze, the smell of the trees. And then take a glimpse at your GPS or topo and realize just how far you have already come. Most likely, you are already farther along than most others have ever dreamed of.
So like I said at the beginning. You are a stud! You are the kind of person that I look at and get inspired by. And that inspiration inspires me to dream even bigger.
I hope it does the same for you.
Dream big and follow your bliss,
David
