I learn a lot about my life and my approach to challenges when I do sports.

Last week I’ve been bouldering for the first in a while.
A few years ago, I got a knee injury from an unfortunate jump.

Since then, I have developed an unnatural fear of falling.

Even though falls in a boulder gym usually means a more or less controlled jump of no more than one meter onto padded ground.

I failed to climb some routes that I knew I could do. And I started to observe myself.

I would climb up. Then hang in the wall, just one meter above the ground, eyeing the next grip that looked just out of reach. Thinking I would fall if I reached for it.

Hanging there, watching, holding on to the grips and wasting my strength.

And then I’d fall off. No juice left in my arms. Thinking I couldn’t reach the next hold. Thinking I couldn’t climb that route.

I feared the fall, which resulted in exactly that. Falling.

Whether you think you can do it or whether you think you can’t, you are right.

Henry Ford (supposedly)

I thought I couldn’t do it. And I was right.

Until I realized what I was doing. I turned around, looked at the wall, and that next grip was not even far away!

So I told myself, Mr. Marius, that reach is absolutely doable. You can do it! And if you fall, it’s not even a meter. On padded ground! There is nothing to lose.

I changed my believe. The way I thought about myself.
I rationalized my fear. I knew I couldn’t hurt myself in the gym. I knew I could do it.

I stopped trying, and I started doing.

I climbed up to that reach again, and then I reached. And it held. And I finished.
And I finished many more routes, even some above my level.

Control your mind, control your fear, and you can do anything you want.

If you DO try, you may succeed.
Worst case, you fall into your safety net.

If you never try, you will NEVER succeed. You will stay on the ground, you won’t move forward.

I learn a lot about myself in the boulder gym.

And how to approach certain things in life.

It once again reminded me how important it is to try. Not even to try, but to DO it.

The importance of the environment

An average person in a good environment is more successful than a brilliant person in a bad environment

Taylor Welch

Overcome your fears.

Setup your environment.

When climbing, take a padded crash pad. Use a rope and take a buddy who will catch you.

In life, set your environment up for success. Build a good support network. Draw from it, and give back. Setup your crash pad.
And then, there is nothing to lose.

You only lose if you don’t try.

Much love
~Marius