Small steps will bring you to the top
Since one month Conrad and I go to the climbing wall each week. We booked the early-bird package and can climb lonely on all walls until everybody comes from work and the hall is getting crowded. One of the advantages of being self-employed, is you can choose to take time off while others work and work in the evening instead. And every week I stand with my shaky, sweaty hands tethered to a rope in front of this huge 15m wall and ask myself why I am doing this. I am afraid of the height. I am afraid to fall. I start climbing the easy yellow colored path and when the first point comes where I don’t know how to proceed and my head get’s a little dizzy realizing the height a voice in my head tells me „Just give up. You are already 2 meters from the ground.“ But I never do. I look down at Conrad who smiles at me holding the other end of the rope. He nods at me and says „You can do it!“ And then I never look down again but just up towards those 13 meters that lay in front of me and I concentrate on each and every small step. When I reach the top of the hall and the last yellow stone a rush of pride runs through my body and I look down at Conrad again to let him know that I made it and that he can let me come down again.
I don’t always make it to the top. I fall and he catches me. I bruised my knee two weeks ago and I didn’t give up but continued climbing. Each week I fight my fear of the height and each week I get a little better, more concentrated, more strategic, with more strengths.
It forces me to get out of my comfort zone and I feel so good every time we finish after two hours of climbing. And in the evening when I put lotion on my red sore hands I think, I can learn so much from climbing:
– get out of your comfort zone,
– never give up even if you get hurt,
– never look down,
– always have the goal in your mind to get to the last stone,
– concentrate on each single step even if it is a small one,
– don’t expect too much from yourself,
– don’t be afraid to fall – there is somebody standing behind you who will catch you.
Here is a tiny insight from instagram from our climbing adventure this week.