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Hello there,
The newsletter I write drifts slowly among topics from personal development to book summaries to small business lessons. And now another shift!
I hereby relaunch this newsletter as “Climbing Discovery” (or another name, still tbd) – stories of outdoor adventure and peak performance!
Most of you have been following my journey for a while, so it’s no surprise that I enjoy the topic of outdoor recreation and rock climbing.
I think you’ll find some fun stuff in the following sections, plus I’ll keep sharing new crowdfunding products. And as always you can unsubscribe any time you like with the link at the bottom of the email.
Thanks for joining me on this journey!
i. The Importance of Effort and Wanting It Harder
I loved the podcast episode on EFFORT from Kris Hampton of Power Company Climbing Coaches where he asks, “How can we learn to try harder?”
It may seem like everyone that goes out climbing has the same drive. But not everyone puts in the same amount of effort. Some people fully invest in every attempt and other people throw in the towel after any small setback.
Chris Sharma set all kinds of records in the past few decades and embodies the try-hard mentality. He grunts and shouts as he climbs, tapping into a deep well of motivation.
One story that illustrates this comes from his recent show on HBO, The Climb. I loved the camaraderie among the climbers in this competition reality show – it embodies the spirit of the sport.
At one point a climber from Italy is climbing above the waters in Mallorca and decides he’s climbed enough and jumps off. Sharma calls him out later saying, “If you’re on a climb, it deserves your full attention. I lost a lot of respect for you there.”
Kris Hampton wants you to tap into your full potential – check out his advice for finding your own psyche-up routines:
Step one – Direction
The mindset or level of arousal depends on what you’re trying to do. Some climbs require maximum intensity from the start while others that need finesse will require a focused mindset.
Step two – Behaviors
Figure out what’s in your control and how you can use those levers. You might not be able to have absolute silence but you could put in headphones.
Some things you can easily modify – breathing, noticing details, sounds. Research suggests a mantra can be helpful like, “Don’t forget to breathe” – just kidding, who the heck forgets to breathe?!
A good tip to ask yourself is, “Do you already know how to access this place from another part of your life training, work, or some other sport?”
Step three – Trial and Error
Utilize this routine on a training day or when you’re outside and the stakes are low. Try a few of the actions you brainstormed and see how it feels. What gets you in the zone and what takes you out of it?
Take the time to figure out which set of actions you can do practically anywhere to get yourself prepared to put in your maximal effort
Step four – Stress Testing
Now implement this at a time when you care deeply about your performance. Notice if the routine is getting you into the right zone or not.
The psych-up routine likely works for any activity that requires serious effort from running a race to performing a song or monologue to a job interview to putting your kid to bed. (Hopefully not that last one!)
ii. How to stay focused in the moment
Hazel Findlay, the British climber and mental training coach, offers some great tips on how to stay focused while climbing.
Look at all the details of the next handhold and the colors and little features.
Sensory feedback- the texture of the rock on your skin.
Be with each move
Reminder that all you have to do is make each move well.
Putting extra effort into being very present in the moment.
Connecting to the heart rate and breathing to know when is a good time to leave the rest.
It can also help to check your attitude towards your goal to ensure you always think positively about the experience.
Using gratitude can continually reframe your challenge to emphasize the good parts and add positivity to the whole thing.
iii. Top Discovery Nuggets
One Thing from Me
An obvious tip has given me a much better approach to skill progress. I ignored climbing training articles and research for a long time because it always felt like homework. I used that time to look up fun routes or plan a trip outside.
Lately, I’ve been making short videos about the training tips and posting them online. The follow-up questions and responses motivate me to go learn more. All of a sudden the research feels like play!
When you have something you want to improve at, figuring out how to reframe it as fun is the ultimate cheat code.
“Do anything, but let it produce joy.” — Walt Whitman
And just a welcome reminder that life’s too short not to enjoy it!
Thanks,
Jono
PS – Roxanne but it’s only rocks … definitely worth the 17 sec build-up
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