Motivation

For some reason I rarely find it hard to motivate myself to climb and train, even alone. I was climbing last night at Joe Rockheads with two good friends after spending the last few days, all day, at the hospital here in TO with my Dad. All I had was about an hour, but it seemed like just what I needed to relax and blow off some steam. Despite the fact I should have been exhausted - and was, I had no problem climbing and probably would have climbed all night if time would have allowed.

This motivation is not suprising, I had not climbed in a few days and needed to get my mind off everything etc. But what really sets the motivated apart from the infatuated, is the ability to stay physced for years, climbing a lot in a gym and mostly alone.

Why some people are this way is something I have been thinking about. Where does the drive come from, how do you create it and more importantly maintain it. The maintaining is where most fall short and in my mind is the reason most people reach a certain level and get no better. You recognize the cycle, you just came off a strong fall and vow, like a guilty Christmas Christian on January first, that this year you will train all winter, get super strong, carry through spring when the sun warms the walls and then maintain for the bug infested Atlantic summer and be superhuman (insert name here) by the following fall.

However, once the initial infatuation with the gym and all the sports bras you slack off, you still manage to climb a few times a week for the winter, even maybe till spring but then as it gets hotter the bbq's and beer distract you. Right at the worst time you justify the break to "let you tendons rest" in preparation of you upcoming fall crush, next thing you know fall is here and you are right where you left off last year.

How do you fix this? How may times have you heard people complain that they are sick of the same routes at their local crag or the route turnover in the gym is too slow, or a piece of tape fell off "yellow and black with an X"? Be careful you can't climb yellow and black with an X without knowing which piece of tape fell off cause the route wont be the same. Oh wait..... imagine that a new route. Wow, could I climb a route with a different sequence or add a foot to a route I could not do to make it possible to work, or remove some feet from a route thats too easy? How about making it tracking or only use jibs and features for feet. Maybe outside I could do a link up or see how many routes I can do in a day or try down climbing routes or lead what you would normally top rope or top rope what you would lead or focus on movement or breath and see what that does. I could go on the possibilities are truly near infinite.

Point is everything in climbing and life is PERSPECTIVE. Thats my word for the day. Learn to change that at will and your life will change for the better. We cant do it all the time or even most of the time, but conscious effort will lead to huge gains. Even the most hopeless situation has hope even if small you just need to see it. Look hard its there.

Everyone will hit rock bottom with climbing, life, motivation and physc, when you do, change you perspective, switch your angle, modify your attitude and approach the situation again. Do this an a whole world of possibility will open up to you.