How To Climb A Slippery, 3,200’ Granite Wall With No Ropes

To most people, risk just looks like chance.Luck.Rolling the dice.

But this isn’t how “lucky” people operate.

The reality is, that while chance can play a role, most “lucky” people set themselves up to be that way.They practiced and practiced and practiced until they felt confident in their abilities.They had run the course so many times that doing it on race day just felt like another day.The risk was more visible.

The risk was minimized.

Alex Honnold climbed El Capitan, which is about 3,200 ft of slippery granite, in about 4 hours without any ropes.While there are some clearly dangerous factors, he had climbed the route many times over the course of 8 years and knew every pitch well.When it was time, he already knew he could do it.He had done it so many times already.He was able to believe and trust in himself.

2 Minute Action

What is a risk you could take in your life, right now?Can you rehearse some or all of it?Could you role play with a friend? Could you do it with a safety net until you get the hang of it?Take 2 minutes to break down this risky maneuver into smaller, safer pieces.Stringing them together will feel very different from approaching it all at once with no practice.

This 1 Thing That Will Always Mess You Up, Unless . . .

You can visualize how it will go.You can prepare.You can train, rehearse, and put in the time too see more cases.The only thing is when something unexpected happens.Even after you thought you'd seen it all, something new slips through the cracks and then what?Hasn't this been what you've been training for the whole time, though?If not, you should probably re-evaluate your method.Of course we need to prepare for the knowns, but it's critical to know what you're fighting for so you can make "good enough" decisions in the moment you're flustered and out of control.

2 Minute Action

Think of a recent time you had to handle something unexpected.Forget about being perfect--or even just the way you wish you'd handled it.Did you get the job done? Was it good enough?Did your decision align with your mission?If you don't know the answer, now is a good time to write 1 sentence about what your mission is.It doesn't have to be a manifesto.Just write 1 sentence about what your mission is today.