Use fear to move you forward
Last few months I used fear to expand myself. To help myself move work forward without fear of not being able to do anything.
Climbing. I decided to climb a few mountains in the Alps, but I have never outdoor climbed. Hired a guide in Chamonix and we took off. Climbing ridges is as scary as sh*t, at least for me. Walking over the glaciers with crampons is pretty fun. We had to jump a meter-wide crevasse, I wanted to try to stop myself during the fall with the ice axe. I didn’t tell this to my guide. I ran, jumped, slided a few meters and stopped — Amazing to be in control of an unknown new situation. We climbed Aigliere du Tour, 3540m.
The scariest part for me was — “ass down climbing”. This new technical was a surprise for me, as I didn’t know that the ass is so helpful for going down. The guide was forcing me to go down quickly, without much thinking. He didn’t want me to get fear-paralyzed.
If you determined the path, trust yourself and your guide, follow it to save time and mental energy.
I needed (yes, needed) to climb a 4000+ peak, but the global warming in Chamonix made it very risky. We moved to Zermatt where I saw an opportunity climb of the top peaks. There is an easier 4000+ peak in the Alps — Breithorn, 4164m. This time I decided to do it myself. This hike didn’t involve any technical downclimbing.
2 more challenges to go.
Rafting. I signed up to raft in 2.5C water in Chamonix. I wanted to put myself in a new situation and see how I handled it. We practised to save a drawing person from the water. The boat Captain asked who wanted to jump into the freezing water. I replied to this call. I have been in so cold water before. I told myself — “I am in charge and I decide what I do, not my fear”.
Flying in a wind tunnel. Who does not want to experience a freefall? You don’t have much control, at least you think so. You can get smashed into a wall or a floor at a very high speed. What could be more exciting?
Like anything in life, you are in charge. The risks you take and how you handle those — you decide. The wind tunnel is a quick way to understand how to control the free wall. You are not completely in charge, your skills increase the odds of success. After only 4 minutes in the wind tunnel, I controlled by rotation. I could move up and down the funnel by changing my down-facing surface. What an experience!
My lessons
- Don’t be afraid of the unknown, increase the odds of success by learning the required skills upfront.
- Use fear to train yourself to jump into the unknown. Remember who is in charge — YOU!
- Have fun.
P.S. A few other things I tried this year — Via Ferrata, Judo, Bouldering, Electric MTB, etc. If you are curious about how this impacted my business performance — pls comment.
