Inner Strength

Guest post by: Keith Hanna
Become an Author

Free PDF Download
Lag Time - By Keith Hanna

I recently went with alpine guide Patrick Delaney to complete an iceclimb I attempted in 1984 and did not finish. Borgeau Left is an ultra-classic Rockies waterfall with a long history of turning even the best climbers back. Patrick had not for some reason attempted it before.

I thought the route was just at the edge of my capability and had serious doubts when Patrick suggested that we go climb it, but he seemed to have a lot of conviction so I didn't put a lot of energy into arguing with him.

We arrived at the parking lot of Sunshine Village to perfect weather, stable avalanche hazard and a solid looking stretch of ice. These were rare conditions where everything lined up.

As I was following Patrick up the horrible wind crust on the approach slope, I was conscious of how tired I felt and I began convincing myself that it was all right not to finish the route. I finally made it to the base of the first pitch and it was fat and plastic, instead of thin, hollow and scrappy. I was spanked.

I watched Patrick climb the first pitch and grew more weary with every move he made. When it was my turn to climb, I looked at the ice looming over my head and had a minor epiphany: "I'm stronger and more capable than I believe I am."

With that thought, I carefully made my way up the first steep 40 metres of the climb, paying exquisite attention to my climbing technique, using my legs well and staying in balance so that I did not overburden my arms, lose my grip strength and then fall off. In my own mind I was alternating between justifications for quitting at the top of the pitch and reminding myself that I was stronger that I thought. I got to the top of pitch 1 somewhat surprised. So we did pitch 2 and I played the same game in my head: "getting to the top of the second pitch is still a respectable accomplishment."

I arrived at the cave at the base of the final tier and said to Patrick: "man, I'm spanked, I don't know if I'm fighting something, but I don't know if I have the gas to finish the route." Patrick looked at me, said nothing and started up the third pitch.

By now, I was starting to really grasp how much energy I had in reserve, how valuable 27 years of climbing experience is and what a mind game this really was. So I just climbed the third pitch with no outer or inner complaint, enjoying every move for what it was, feeling the sun on my back and relishing the freedom of the moment.

I got to the ledge beneath the final crux pitch and asked Patrick when he decided that we were going to finish the route, regardless of my whining. He said: "some time ago." All righty then. "Besides", he added, "the last pitch is short, fat and plastic: it'll be a fun romp." Having found the resources inside to deal with the climb thus far, there was no reason any more to argue.

So he set off up the last dead vertical column of ice, saying nothing until about halfway up: "fuck this is steep!". Deep breath from me. When the rope went tight, I decided to "just climb, don't think, you're stronger than you think".

The last pitch was as steep as Patrick said, but again I just kept telling myself, "you're stronger than you think, you're stronger than you think. focus on your footwork, rest your arms, see where you're going to swing your axe before you swing it and swing it well."

I got to the top and simply said to Patrick: "I guess I'm stronger than I think I am". That thought is now reinforced by a very visceral experience. The next time I think I can't do something, my body remembers otherwise.

Article #46 What Do Leaders Strive Everyday For?

Discovering Your True Self-Worth

Fear vs. Courage

The Power of our own Inner-Strength

Nonverbal Communication in the Workplace: Two Types of Body Language (Tip #30)

What Ice Climbing Has to do With Business

Inner Strength. Do You Have It? If not, How do You Get It?

Leadership Bottlenecks Kill Companies

Effective Communication in the Workplace

MLM Downline Building Secrets: How To Master Building A Profitable MLM Dowline

Getting to the Middle of it: Building a Business From its Core

How to Build a Great Team

AeroPlay / Fee Club Growth

Facing Fear- Taking Actions that Stretch You

PRICE OF LEADERSHIP

Obstacle or Opportunity? You decide.

Entrepreneurs Instinctively Find Solutions for Business Issues

The Two Key Components to Living with Tenacity

The Progressive Leader’s Superior Self-Knowledge

Eight Benchmarks to Measure Online Progress

Home > Business-Coach > Keith Hanna > Inner Strength > Google +

Referred by: http://www.infinity-pr.com

Free PDF Download
Lag Time - By Keith Hanna

About the Author: Keith Hanna

RSS for Keith's articles - Visit Keith's website
Keith Hannaâ€™s experience as a coach spans over 15 years and includes helping entrepreneurs and growing companies identify and implement the changes needed to take their success to the next level. With a commitment to creating tangible value for his clients, Keith has worked with leaders in a wide variety of industries and at every stage of their careers and personal lives. His career as a coach began as a natural extension of his work as a product designer helping entrepreneurs turn their vision into innovative products. Through that work, Keith realized the most important innovations entrepreneurs had to make were inward focused. Those who were able to deal with the stresses caused by personal and business changes around them were able to make those changes work for them, and were able to live greater lives and build greater businesses. Keith holds a Masterâ€™s Degree in Environmental Design from the University of Calgary, with a specialization in industrial design and new venture development. He is author of two books, StepUp and Higher Purpose, Higher Profit, as well as an accomplished speaker and facilitator. Keith lives with his wife and two children at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Bragg Creek, Alberta, from which he makes mountain climbing excursions in the summer and dog sledding trips in the winter.
Click here to visit Keith's website.

More from Keith Hanna
The Highest Leverage Investment in a Business is
If You Cant Sell You Cant Serve
Necessity is the Mother of Intention
The Three Phases of Relationship
Lag Time

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Share this post and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Inner Strength

Related Articles

Related Forum Posts

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.


Name:
Email: