Trying to Get to the Top? Read This First.

A few weeks ago, I pulled out my trusty old rock climbing shoes from college. Since I’ve got little feet and they’re bright purple, they look like they belong to a tiny circus performer, and that makes me like them even more.

The first few times we went to the climbing gym, I just wanted to scrabble up as many routes as I could.  I loved the feeling of tapping the final hold at the top, and then belaying back down, victorious.

One of the things I enjoyed most was the grunting.  

Every time I made a move that required a little extra effort or mental resolve I sounded like a pro tennis player returning a serve with gusto.  

I felt so hard core!  

As I progressed to harder routes, I started making even more noise. Not just with my grunting, but with my feet, hands and knees as I scraped, slapped, and kicked the wall in an effort to keep going by whatever means necessary. 

But then I started watching more advanced climbers. They were patient. They were purposeful. They spent time climbing the route mentally before they ever got on the wall . They grunted, but rarely, and only when they were going for a really challenging move.

I moseyed over to the front desk and asked the young, pink-haired staffer about how to improve my technique.  

She gave me the wise smile of a master welcoming a new padawan for training.  And then she explained that the way I was climbing was fun for sure, but it was…sloppy. 

She also explained that there’s nothing wrong with sloppy climbing if I just wanted to come into the gym once in a while and mess around.

But if I wanted to progress, my training wouldn’t be measured by how many routes I conquered, but how intentional I was about moving up them.  

Turns out, noisy climbing means that you’re wasting energy, in part because you’re only thinking about the next hold instead of the route as a whole.

As she explained all this, the parallels with Visioning clicked.

Since a young age, we’ve heard the message that “success” is all about getting to the top, in your personal life, your career and your finances.  As a result, you’re always trying to grab the next milestone in front of you. You’re tired out because your energy is going in a bunch of different directions, and when you do reach a pinnacle, you hardly pause before going on to the next.

That’s why I work so closely with my clients to define what success really means for them.  

Oftentimes that does include reaching new heights, but it’s more about being intentional and proactive along the way.  

And that’s when my Visionaries start feeling like those advanced rock climbers – more patient, more purposeful, and more primed for making challenging, and rewarding moves.  Instead of feeling worn out, their energy actually grows because they’re not using it where they no longer want or need to.  

And when they do reach their next destination, they stop.  

They celebrate! 

And from there, they have the freedom to explore their next definition of success

So what about you? What messages about success have you heard since childhood, and how do they impact your ideas about success now?

Enjoy your weekend!

P.S. Feeling stuck on a big decision you’re facing right now? I’d love to invite you to snag a free Visionary Decision Making Session with me. You’ll bring the biggest decision you’ve got on your mind, and I’ll support and challenge you along the way to gaining clarity so you can stop getting pulled in different directions, reclaim your time and energy and KNOW exactly what steps to take next so you can move forward with confidence.

>>Claim your free session here (my gift to you!)

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