*Written for Edged in June 2010
In this blog post, Nalle Hukkataival discusses his excitement at having found a project in his backyard. By the sounds of it, the project may well be impossible.
PSYCHED!
Some Excerpts from Nalle’s Blog
“after 4 sessions on it, i managed to do a single move..”
“that one move i’ve been able to do is the first one and it is most likely the easiest one..”
“..hold a position for a spilt second, not even feeling remotely close to being able to move any part of my body”
Just Imagine
When imagining the magnitude of the difficulty, I find myself tingling with anticipation. Inadvertently, the sweat glands in my palms started gushing. This must be one hell of a sick-ass hard problem. Soon after the quiet realization dawned in. Actually, difficulty per se is of secondary importance. Look at it this way: It doesn’t matter what the grade of the problem is. Regardless of whether you are a professional athlete or a newbie climber, the feelings of trying out a problem beyond your current ability is the same. You feel like every fibre in your body is screaming for rest; you deal with sentiments of frustration, maybe anger, sometimes dejection. Often, such intertwining emotions lead to one finality – you are tempted to give up.
What Makes a Pro
What separates the man from the boys, or in case, the pros from the newbies, is a positive mentality. When one believes something to be possible, some switch in the brain is turned on. That positivity brings about a change almost instantaneously – the lightness of each step, the clarity with which you see, the tenacity to rebel against your fate. That positivity permeates every aspect of your life, not just climbing.
It is inspiring to see Nalle putting in that effort to attempt to send the problem, even though it may well be impossible. No doubt, critics will implore him to give up, or shake their heads at this effort in futility. But remember: nothing great is ever accomplished by the critic. Great works are done by the man who goes out to do it.
Perils of Instant Gratification
Coincidentally, I chanced upon the entry just as I was lamenting the state of affairs in the Singapore climbing scene. Nowadays, the virtues of hard work and delayed gratification are no longer fashionable. The good old days of setting a problem, trying it repeatedly and not “being able to move on” until finally sending it have all but become a fading memory. Instead, climbers of today revel in instant gratification. I seldom see or hear of young climbers setting a long-term project, throwing themselves against it for months on end, and then finally surmounting it. More common than not, jumping on a new problem each time at the gym and chucking that old “impossible” problem at the back of the mind is the case.
Of course, there are merits associated with trying a different route every time. The new climber is engram-med with a plethora of moves, picking up techniques like twisting/drop knee/sitting in quickly. Admittedly, the pace of learning is accelerated. However, another force, perhaps of a slightly insidious nature, is at play here. The problem: the climber becomes attracted to quick rewards, doing problems that are easy to complete. Ultimately, he gains nothing much out of the entire exercise except a momentary sense of happiness. The costs appear to outweigh the benefits – this point is explored in greater detail below.
Unweaving the Rainbow
What is attractive about projects is the richness of emotions associated with seeing through the project, from its inception to its completion. Starting from the awe induced by standing below the seemingly unfathomable line, to the gung-ho initial attempts pitting your entire might against it, to slowly and painstakingly working out the sequences of the entire route, to the frustrations at not being able to push past hard sections, to the sinking realization that the project might well be impossible. And finally, when sending the project, being flushed with wild exuberance and drowned in immense satisfaction. Then, leaving with quiet contentment.
Wouldn’t you agree that these emotions are more vivid and more effective in shaping personal development, as opposed to one fleeting moment of happiness?
THE AUTHOR'S PROJECT, WHICH TOOK HIM 3 TRIPS TO SEND - MORE AN INDICATOR OF HIS LACK OF ABILITY THAN OF PERSEVERANCE. LUCKILY FOR HIM, HARD WORK PAID OFF.
So go forth, find your projects.
PS: I apologize for shamelessly putting up the one picture I thought was relevant. Pardon me, for I am new to this business of putting up pictures onto blogs. Am doing this ‘picture’ thing at the behest of my boss, who thinks pictures do a better job of engaging audiences than words.
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