Last year, I resolved that my motto for the year would be “try hard.”
After a year of trying hard, I accomplished a lot of my goals. I sent my first V5 – and many more after that. I also sent my first V6 – and no more after that (yet!).
But I also learned that I can try even harder.
When I try harder than I think I can, I fail more than if I didn’t try.
But I also succeed at things I didn’t even think were possible for me.
A recent trip to the Red River Gorge really showed me the that I am capable of more than I usually think.
A friend was pushing me to get on climbs that were at my limit, and I was giving them a go. I was having fun. I was trying things that were hard for me. And when I got pumped, I would let go, shake it out, and try again.
Then, on my last climb of the whole trip, I started to get pumped a couple moves in and was just about to let go, when I heard someone yell, “You’ve got this!”
And a little voice inside my head said, “Maybe I do!” So I kept trying, and surprised myself by making the next move. And then the next one. I ended up making it halfway up the route before I fell.
That’s when I fully realized that I could try harder than I thought.
Even when I felt the burn in my forearms, I could still hang onto the rock and keep climbing. I could actually use tiny crimps that I hated and pull myself up. I could make big moves and catch the next hold.
Since then, that tiny little voice has continued to repeat “maybe you can!” when I’m ready to give up.
And I’ve continued to surprise myself with what I’m capable of.
This year, my resolution is to remember that. To repeat the mantra of “maybe I can.” To give it a real shot.
To fail more. To succeed more.
To try harder. To surprise myself.