Tweet

Lessons Learned From a Cliffhanger

Written by: John Chasteen

Article Overview: Life itself is full of valuable lessons, teachable moments, waiting to be gleaned. With proper coaching, you can accomplish great feats.

Lessons Learned From a Cliffhanger

The alarm went off at 5:00am. It was a special day; my son had invited me to go rock climbing in the Witchita Mountains in southwest Oklahoma. Soon we were on the road, bright and early. The fall foliage colored the landscape with bright reds and unique yellows, the air – crisp and clean. A perfect day for climbing!

It was a first for me. However, my son Andy is an experienced and talented climber. (See below footnote about Andy) After arriving at the park, he led the way as we hiked forty-five minutes across the boulder dotted landscape.

We traversed by wild buffalo, deer and who knows what other kinds of critters! Finally we arrived at a rock formation called “The Lost Dome.” Before I knew it I was “on the wall,” making my first ever climb.

As I reflected back on the day, I suddenly realized I had learned many valuable lessons. I’d like to share some of them as a tribute to my son, who is a great young man. Here’s what I learned:

1. With proper coaching, you can accomplish great feats

Honestly, I was a little intimidated as I looked up at the 90 foot granite wall. However, Andy coached me step by step, explaining about my equipment, and the climb. Only with his help, was this even possible.

Lesson learned: We must have others to help us on the journey of life. We can’t get it done without them.

Relationships are important aren’t they? Are you connected with anyone?

Prov. 27:17


2. Hard challenges are great morale boosters

I hate to admit it, but about ten feet up the wall I was ready to give up! I mean really! My hands hurt from the sharp granite, my toes, legs and arms were throbbing - in harmony!

My thoughts hounded me…this is not good, a fifty-one year old man hanging on the side of a mountain! After twenty minutes of taking it “one move at a time,” I made it to the top.

Lesson learned: Persistence pays great dividends. I really felt like I had accomplished something - I’m still pumped!

Rom. 5:3-5

3. We need comrades who will cheer us on.

One thing that really stood out was the camaraderie I witnessed at the slopes that day. It was like they all knew each other. (Really they didn’t!) .

Interestingly, I got stuck at one point about seventy feet into the climb. One of the fellow rock climbers then climbed up next to me and gave me a few pointers. Imagine that! Then they climbed above me and took my picture. How neat!

Lesson learned: God sends us comrades to cheer us on as we walk through life. Those willing to climb along side and help.

Heb. 12:1

Conclusion

I know none of this seems very spiritual. However, life itself is full of valuable lessons – teachable moments. I know I certainly experienced one this weekend. Proverbs tell us that wisdom speaks from the streets at the place where the paths meet. (Prov. 8:1-3)

Will I try climbing again? Sure! Will I become a pro? I doubt it! However, I did have a great time and learned some valuable lessons from my son, The Cliff Hanger!


Andy Chasteen’s Bio:
Andy is a pro/amateur rock climber who is passionate about the sport. He is involved in organizing major rock climbing events around the country and was recently appointed as the regional contact person for Solid Rock Climbers for Christ, a national Christian Climbing Club.

Andy is thirty one years old. He lives in the OKC metro area. He works for Robert Half Financial Services in downtown OKC. If you would like to contact him, you may do so at andy.chasteen@gmail.com .

Related Articles
  Important "Lessons Learned” For Leaders, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
  Ten More Important “Lessons Learned” For Leaders, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
  It Takes Teamwork to Make a Company Dream Work
  Leadership Lessons Heard
  Lessons to Learn From the First Dot Com Boom

Article Tags: bright reds, critters, fall foliage, feats, foot granite, footnote, granite wall, journey of life, morale boosters, perfect day, persistence, rock formation, side of a mountain, son andy, southwest oklahoma, ten feet, twenty minutes, what other kinds, witchita mountains, yellows



Related Forum Posts
300 rules! - 300 was my favorite movie of 2007 and Kevin you did a great job in highlighting the Business Lessons from the Movie.
Napoleon on Project Management - Why do I include this in a list of books aimed at female entrepreneurs? Well...in the expectation that there are as many female history buffs as male ones, and in the belief that anyone interested in history will find this book fascinating, while those interested in project management will learn a thing or two. I think this was the first "gimmick" book - an author using a historical figure (usually a male, military figure, it must be admitted) to talk about modern day business management. I refuse to read any of the kind that advocates - even obliquely - the techniques of the Sopranos or the Mossad - but these military ones are pretty fun. Anyway: Only in the understanding of history, Napoleon might say, do we gain an understanding of strategy in the present. In the same spirit, Napoleon on Project Management offers the recipe for successfully managing your commitments using the strategies, tactics and priorities that propelled Napoleon himself to victory. [The book doesn't gloss over how Napolean eventually fell in defeat, of course, and there's lessons to be learned there as well. TOC Foreword by Douglas James Allan (Napoleanic Society of America) 1. The Rise to Power -The Skills to Succeed -A Compelling Vision -Diplomacy and Networking -Lessons from the Great Campaigns 2. Napoleon's 6 Winning Principles -Introduction -Exactitude -Speed -Flexibility -Simplicity -Character -Moral Force 3. The Downfall -What Went Wrong -Lessons from the Russian Invasion and Waterloo -The Four Critical Warning Signs -Napoleon's Legacy
Ebay actually drives prices up... - I have an acquaintance who collects rare books. He went off on a rant about Ebay in his blog a couple of weeks ago. It used to be he could buy books for quite reasonable sums, but ever since Ebay debuted, people are putting their stuff up their with inflated reserve bids, and the uninformed public are buying those books at ridiculous prices...so now even book collectors that don't deal on Ebay are also inflating their prices, because if people are too stupid to know what is proper market value... For myself, I fell victim once... not so much to a scam but to my own lack of knowledge of what I was buying... Way back in the 70s Forrest J. Ackerman published 8 issues of a magazine called Spaceman, and I wanted them all. I also thought they were very rare and was willing to pay any price to get them. So I bid $100 for a beat up old issue of Spacemen 1, and got it, and of course next week another issue was up there for $20. So I was not a happy camper. Lessons are - know the market value of what you want to buy and realize that there are other places besides Ebay where you can get it.
Re: What Do Women Entrepreneurs Want? - [quote="Tami Szabo":1ya8y88l]Shri, I really appreciate what you said. When we place the blame elsewhere, we give our power away. However, when we look at ourselves and our our ability to create the lives and businesses that we want, we empower ourselves. Kevin asked what I'd like to see with this forum and I think you and I are on the same page. I want to see this as a community of intelligent women where we inspire each other to think bigger and open up to the great possibilities for ourselves and our businesses. I truly believe each one of us women has great talent and potential. When we stop comparing ourselves with others and simply focus on succeeding at being the amazing women we already are, we give ourselves permission to grow forward in incredible ways. Fear takes a back seat because it's not about impressing others, but simply expressing who we already are. Since we're all great women, we have nothing to prove. I desire to see this forum as a safe place to share our plans and invite the best of each other forward. Let's set a precedence of not measuring our value against other women or men. We are not a threat to each other! Imagine the powerful force we will be if we learn to come together and keep inviting each one to reveal her great talents. With much warmth and sincerity, Tami[/quote:1ya8y88l] I like Shri's comments as well because people who complain a lot only make themselves look bad rather than their subject matter. And Tami, when you said that you have a "desire to see this forum as a safe place to share our plans and invite the best of each other forward" it reminded me of the book "Don't Think Pink" by Lisa Johnson & Andrea Learned. In that book, the authors share your sentiments by saying "Hosting a forum through which your women customers can share their stories with one another...women will remember the brand that helped them find a solution-oriented community, and they will remain loyal and very likely spread the word about it to their friends” ("Don't Think Pink" 73).
Are You a Businessgirl or a Businesswoman? - One thing that has irked me off and on for 30 years is the tendency of people - both men [i:2wryyhvf]and [/i:2wryyhvf]women, to refer to women, whatever their age, as 'girls' rather than women. College basketball announcers, coachers and players do it, as do the fans. These are 'girls' who are between the ages of 18 - 21, that's women in my book. Tennis players and announcers do it. John McEnroe called 'em girls and just when I was getting annoyed at him for being a bit of a male chauvanist, they interviewed player Lindsay Davenport - 30 years old, and she referred to 'em as girls as well. The Bond "girls" were girls up until the 90s, I admit, doing nothing more than providing someone for Bond to bed and rescue, but in the last few installments the "girl" has been more of a power player...nevertheless she's still a 'girl'. And of course there was the TV series The Golden Girls - which I liked by the way, but which featured mature women calling themselves girls And now here it is in the 2000s, and we get this: The Girl's Guide To Starting Your Own Business, by Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio. Their photos are on the cover - presumably the photo is of them and not models - and they are definitely women, not girls. And what "girly" chapter titles do they give us? "The Scary Stuff" (financial matters) and a chapter on ACTING Like an Adult. (Caps mine). So popular was this book, apparently, that they've now come out with a sequel: The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being A Bitch): Valuable Lessons, Smart Suggestions, and true stories for succeeding as the CHICK-IN-CHARGE. (My caps) and once again I was tempted to take the book and throw it across the room. Let's indulge in [i:2wryyhvf]all [/i:2wryyhvf]the cliches, shall we? So I'd like to hear from other businesswomen out there. Do you find yourself referred to as a girl? Do you mind it? Do you like the culture that still propagates that mindset?


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

The Golden Rule of Communications

Multilevel Marketing: 4 Tips To MLM Success

SEO and the Entrepreneur

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.