The Journey Forward

  Rock climbing has become my absolute favorite off-season workout.  It is a fantastic change of pace that I have come to thoroughly enjoy.  What most people don’t know is I suffer from a fear of heights.  Multiple times in my childhood I was tormented by the up, down and around of a demented roller coaster, yet rock climbing seems the quell the fear that pounds on my heart like a conga drum. 

   Whenever I finish a workout, no matter what it is, one thing I always try to do is think through the flurry of thoughts I experienced during the exercise.  Yesterday’s climb was no different.  Being 52 feet up a rock wall lead to a swarm of thoughts.  After wading through the storm of images and emotions I learned something very important.  Accomplishing anything in life requires two things; the occasional glance up or forward, and the occasional glance down or backwards. 

   As I ascended the wall yesterday, every once in a while I would look up and see just how far I had left to climb.  Sometimes I would get disheartened at the summit left towering above me.  Other glances would inspire  pure fear as I realized I have to climb up and around a vault, requiring more strength and skill than I believed I could muster.  Thankfully, a glance or two would give me a boost of confidence as I realized I was farther up the wall than I initially thought.  

  On my first climb up I made the error of looking down when I reached the peak of my climb.  For someone who is not a fan of heights, this is a fatal error.  Panic completely takes over.  After a second or two of shock, my look down turned into a more joyous moment.  I conquered a 52 foot rock climb.  Something I had never in my life been able to accomplish even at the peak of my fitness level in high school.  Panic was quickly beaten back by the joy I now felt swelling in my chest.

  Any goal or task that you undertake in life is going to be filled with moments of joy and moments of terror.  Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned triathlete or a soccer mom looking to get her figure back, there will be set backs and there will be success.  What all of us need to realize is that every now and then we need to look up at our goal and see the journey ahead of us.  Triathletes are taught early on about this very thing.  When you are running or cycling, where you set your eyes is very important.  Too far forward and you will miss the pot hole  in the road determined to flatten your tires.  Eyes set too far down and you lose sight of where you’re going and the goal before you.  Having a goal to look at from time to time is a huge aid when it comes to being successful in anything you set your mind too.  It is also extremely important to every now and then look back at where you started.  There will be times when you look back and realize your not as far as you had hoped.  Other glances will reveal that you have conquered so much more than you originally thought.  Regardless it is important to look back and evaluate how far you have come.  As you continue your to strive for you goals, look back now and then to see all you have accomplished then look up and see the Journey Forward.

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