Ladder or Mountain?

Flying home from a recent consulting trip in Omaha I picked up a copy of ‘Outside’ magazine. While the concept has always had my attention, I only crack open this mag occasionally. This time around, I had hours to spare and the March edition being the “Work Issue”. Ok… so what? And how boring. Not for me, at least at this point in my life. Given that I had just started my own practice back up just weeks ago from that moment I was intrigued as I am all about finding more ways to best serve others while doing things authentically and in-line with my athletic, outdoorsy personality.

The theme of this issue was to “Work Smart”. What was cool about it was that it contained 4 sections giving us some methods of actually working smart. So helpful! Hoping to find some stories among the “new career rules’ (whatever that actually means) I liked the section on humanitarian-entrepreneur Jon Rose entitled “Make Yourself Useful”. I mean, I can hope I do that at least sometimes! In a section titled ‘Hustle Your Side Gig’, I found a familiar face in Lauren Fleshman. Most female runners are at least somewhat familiar with Lauren and I don't shy away from letting others know my respect for her. I once had the privilege of sharing a stage with her a few years back at a running camp and enjoyed being in her energy (does that sound weird? Perhaps it does, but whatever.)  She is also one of the more relatable figures in distance running.

Okay, where are we going with this exactly? Side hustles? Running role models?

So, in this short article on enhancing your ‘side hustle’-or in layman’s terms, your secondary business project either to supplement your income or allow the ends to meet at the end of the month. Or both. Or sometimes your side gig turns into a successful energy bar company, like Lauren's did. Something that stood out to me while paging through on the tarmac while they de-iced the plane before taking me back to Houston…. Part of Fleshman’s story. It’s fairly common knowledge that behind a successful person is a story that is highly imperfect and with challenges.  Written in this article was that she believed that growing up in a sometimes-volatile childhood environment may have helped prepare her to entrepreneurship. And probably drove her on the track as well. Fleshman was quoted saying “from an early age, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to anticipate what’s going to happen, to avert disaster”. “I was training my brain to problem-solve.” Wow. I found this particularly powerful despite the pic of her holding one of her famed Picky Bars (delicious, by the way and I was in no way paid to say that).

While far from being a prerequisite, top performers and successful individuals often have a backstory.

I could relate to what she was saying. And I see it in so many of the resilient athletes I work with. But there’s a difference in those who develop skill and resilience in circumstances like those and those who continue to struggle. In my own life (experiences I will refrain from getting to deep into here), I have had to apply the skill of going into disaster aversion mode on several occasions during my developement. At first, this seemed to lead me to shutting myself off and not taking risks, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found ways to use these experiences to help move me along. This wasn’t always the case. It wasn’t until after many missteps, a crevice or two, and many slips nearly taking me down did I reach the current stage I am at. And that's the way it's meant to be and should be, I believe.

Find a way.

Taking a step back, I also credit my experiences when I was younger to wire in an ability to read situations, anticipate adverse events, and find solutions to problems despite the odds. “Find a way” became my life mantra in college and has been ever since.

These traits have also gotten me in some trouble too, as I have trouble taking ‘no’ for an answer from myself even when it is best not to push through certain things. (Just ask any of my current or former coaches.) I’ve been told I don’t have much of an ‘off’ switch-but in the end that's okay.  I can’t help but smile as I feel as if I’m right where I should be at the right time.

Had I walked right up, had things set up neatly, I wouldn’t appreciate the journey: the callouses, the knowledge, the experience that I can pass along to others. Only by scaling the rock face and all it’s scary parts could I truly feel like I was living and living authentically. I found a way and want to help others find theirs. Not only has early experiences fostered resilience but wired an ability to recognize unmet needs and find a way to meet them.

Life is not a ladder. It is not symmetrical, measured, and can be stored neatly in a closet.

I’ve never liked the cliché of “climbing the ladder”, like “He/she has climbed the ladder in their company”, or the more annoying “ladder of success”. Firstly, because I’m not a huge fan of them, they’re wobbly and heights aren’t really my thing. Secondly, so few people can move through things just one measured step at a time, like if you do this, then you get this. While this is some people’s story, rarely are things this neat and predictable.

While yes, things are one step at a time, rarely are they in that orderly of a fashion. In my opinion and based on my experiences and those I work with, life more resembles climbing a rock face on the side of a mountain. Mountains are as beautiful as they are asymmetrical. Now, mind you, I’ve not done much rock climbing except for a few short scrambles in the Cascades in Washington and up the Flatirons in Boulder, CO, but I have an idea of what it could be like. By the way, Texans are not the best at these types of things! 

You see, while scaling the face of a mountain, you’re truly living your life-on the right track, however, there’s a component of disaster-aversion, or at least heightened self-awareness of your own  existence and choices. It’s you, your own strength and skill, plus a rope that can represent the support we have from others. For those of you who choose to free-climb, more power to you! It’s also really, really, hard at times. We can’t always move straight up to the summit. We must move laterally. We sometimes must stop and reassess things. You may panic at times. You may feel elated and invincible at times.

We often must talk ourselves through when we can’t seem to move up or find a foothold. We may want to throw in the towel and go back down to ground level because the challenge is so great. We must remain motivated, especially when our progress is slow to stay the course we’re on. To advance, we must look for something to hold onto and pay attention to information that matters. Focus is key.

Despite rock climbing possessing inherent challenges, I do know from talking to and reading about several climbers that it can be one of the most freeing experiences in the world.

When we’re truly living in the moment and doing what we’re meant to be doing, it invites a state of flow into our lives. In the book “The Rise of Superman”, the concept of flow (and extreme activities such as rock climbing) is thoroughly explored and it’s only when we’re not focusing on the result of what we’re doing but in a state of simple awareness and challenge do we do the amazing things we do. It’s about following “the voice” whether that is internal or from something spiritual or outside of yourself and relying on your skill and passion to help you even when things seem impossible.

What mountain face experiences have you conquered?

What strengths and abilities have you gained from your challenges?

How can these help you in your journey, whether personal, professional, or athletic?

Keep climbing, friends.