Progress
Hello, lovely readers. I’m going to interrupt my trauma series for a minute. The book my second post was supposed to cover needed to be returned to the library, so while I wait for my Amazon order to come in, I will bore motivate you with a blurb on rock climbing/fitness and goal-setting in general.
I get frustrated easily. People who don’t know me well might be surprised to hear that, because all of my pursuits, including my hobbies, are pretty intense and require a good deal of frustration tolerance. Feeling frustrated frequently and being able to regulate it are two separate things, but now I have just begun to annoy myself with semantics. I have been climbing for almost three years, and it has definitely become a way of life, and not just in the sense of being yet another cross training workout. It has changed the way I see the world and approach problems in all areas of life. At present, my biggest gripe is being stuck at 5.10 for the past 1.5 years or so. Granted, I have taken several months off to recover from surgery/injuries, etc., but I feel that I should be well ahead of where I am now. Today I had time for about a 45 minute workout, and judiciously distributed this between laps on the wall, core work, and a yoga cool down. I know it was a good workout because I couldn’t feel my forearms when I was finished. It’s now an hour later and they still feel weird.
While I was taking a water break, I was approached by a newcomer who said she’d been climbing for two days. “You are amazing,” she gushed. “You made that green route look so easy. I tried to climb it and couldn’t.” Hello, ego boost (lol). The route in question was likely a 5.8 and I’d probably climbed it at least five times since it had been set. She asked me to demonstrate a boulder problem and I found myself giving her advice that I myself was given three years ago. I caught myself contemplating the concept of progress and how I quantify that, because obviously I have been progressing. (Isn't metacognition just great?) I climb things now that once would have been impossible. I see individual holds differently, as well as things outside the climbing gym (like buildings with crimpy features, but that’s a story for a different day).
I think my problem is the inability to be satisfied combined with the need for constant stimulation afforded by new challenges. In some ways this is beneficial. My hobbies are fairly diverse and I have broad knowledge across various fields of study, although I still invent nonexistent areas of the brain on tests. The workout related injuries I suffer are far fewer in number and much less severe, because I cross train like crazy. I tell my clients that progress is perfection, but don’t automatically apply that to myself—it’s a constant, conscious effort. My expectation is instant mastery, although I know that’s not the way it works. I’m learning to be satisfied with small goals that represent some sort of positive movement, like cooking balanced meals instead of eating out, or a solid workout, even if it didn’t involve sending my latest project. Comparison is futile, when it involves a self-berating cycle of dissatisfaction. On the other hand, comparison from week to week can prove useful in gauging progress. Things like flexibility, body composition, inflammation levels, and even mental tenacity vary within short time frames, and significantly impact fitness.
A balance between self-efficacy and self-improvement is key. Research demonstrates that climbers who possess a greater sense of self-efficacy take more risks (Lewellyn, 2008). Of course, risks are an integral part of improving. Self-efficacy is not the same thing as complacency or satisfaction with an already attained goal. In fact, an older study found that 90% of elite climbers see their skills as still developing (Robinson, 1985).
I suppose the point is to keep trying while acknowledging progress. You’ll get there eventually, and so will I.
References
Lewellyn, D. J., & Sanchez, X. (2008). Individual differences and risk taking in rock climbing. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9(4), 413-426.
Robinson, D. W. (1985). Stress seeking: Selected behavioral characteristics of elite rock climbers. Journal of Sport Psychology, 7, 400-404.