I talked to Leslie Kim of Dynamite Starfish about fear and risk in rock climbing, and how having a warrior mentality helps not just our climbing performance but in all of life, including partnerships. Below are excerpts from the podcast:

Viewing/listening link: Leslie Kim | Dynamite Starfish Rock Climbing

How do we define warriors in The Warrior’s Way® mental training? Certainly warriors move toward stressors to seek learning opportunities. Additionally we focus on effective use of attention, developing awareness, and trusting how life unfolds. This requires warriors to be fluid and adaptable rather than rigid.

What’s the relationship between performance, knowledge, and fear? Do we avoid challenging ourselves because we fear we lack knowledge? Incremental action can balance being fearful with engagement. This helps us gain knowledge along the way.

“Who am I?” This is a question that’s important to ask because we tend to define ourselves in limiting ways that hinder performance. How we tie our worthiness to success is one example. We lose motivation when we don’t think we’ll succeed because we don’t want to lose our sense of worth.

What are effective partnerships? Who do we build relationships with? A big part of knowing who to partner with is knowing effective ways to coach and support each other. Usually our belayers coach us to avoid stress or rush through it. Rather, they can allow us to struggle within the context of supporting us while we take appropriate risks.

Some mental training points for your journey:

• You have to want to begin the journey. All action begins in the mind. Direct that action by wanting to do mental training practice.
• Take daily small steps that are ongoing. For example, if you want to be more self-compassionate, then notice self-criticism throughout the day.

Viewing/listening link: Leslie Kim | Dynamite Starfish Rock ClimbingFind Leslie here: https://dynamitestarfish.com