Rock climbing being a metaphor for life

At Adventure Hub we get to take a lot of people out Rock Climbing. It is an activity that is quite physically challenging and most trips not everyone will make it to the top of the cliff. Something I have come to realise and find interesting is a lot of time you can see who will make it to the top simply by their attitude before they start their climb.

Some people will actually tell you at the start they are not going to be able to make it, that they will go part of the way and then come back down. Or they will say things like ‘I don’t know how far I am going to make it’. Other people you can tell by their body language they are positive, they might not make it to the top, but they still give it everything they’ve got.

It is also really interesting how the first person sets the pace for the rest of the group. If the first person only gets a few meters off the ground then I can almost guarantee that at least half of the group will only make it a few meters off the ground. Whereas if the first person makes it to the top then almost everyone will be able to do it. Knowing this I now make an effort to make sure the first person is likely to make it to the top, this sets the expectation for the rest of the group and I end up with a lot happier customers who feel great about themselves.

Another thing, rock climbing is a very technical activity, yes you do need a bit of strength and stamina, but having the right technique is so important. For example, our legs are the strongest part of our body and therefore should do about 80% of the work, arms should be used more for balance and body position. People who have a lot of muscle seem to think they can use their muscles to get up the wall and do have some good success at the start, but after a couple of climbs their arms a dead. Whereas the people with not as much muscle who listen to our coaching can actually do a lot better than others who might be stronger, simply by using the right technique.

These three areas, having the right attitude, leading by example and using the right technique / system are so important in life and business. A business that has staff that know what the business goals are and support it, have managers and owners that are leading by example with the right systems to support them will be able to achieve so much more.