The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training For Climbers

between—growth. You live in a dynamic world. If you are settling in to a rigid comfort zone, then you are dying—slowly, but still dying. To stay vibrant you need to engage life and take risks, not for the conquest of some elusive mountaintop or redpoint, but in order to learn and grow.
    Value learning. It nourishes our growth. Learning is solving problem after problem, acting on one opportunity after another. You demonstrate that you value learning by keeping attention on those problems and opportunities. When you feel distracted or stressed, ask, “Is my attention focused on solving this problem?” or, “What is the opportunity for learning in this situation?” If attention isn’t focused on solving the problem or acting on the opportunity, stop leaking that attention and use it impeccably to deal with whatever is at hand.
    Just because the principle is simple doesn’t mean it’s easy to accomlish. We are all rife with limiting habits and ineffective beliefs. The Rock Warrior’s Way isn’t a destination that you struggle to attain. It’s here, now. It is the struggle itself. This book lays out seven processes that help guide you on your path. To follow the Rock Warrior’s Way means to decide to walk the path. Then, simply be observant and pay attention.
    A warrior prepares for the risks he knows he’ll be encountering. He uses attention to collect information about the risk, changing as much as possible of the unknown to the known. He knows that the Ego will try to sabotage his effort. He separates to the Witness position with sword in hand and slices off any dragon head the Ego raises. He centers himself so he is present for the upcoming challenge. He assesses the consequences and focuses on possibilities in the situation. Then he makes a decision, to take the risk or not. He transitions from preparation to action. If he decides to take the risk, he cuts off all possibilities of re-deciding, hesitating, or doubting and commits wholeheartedly to the effort. He sets an intention to take action and commits 100-percent to that intention. Once he’s launched into the action phase, he knows he isn’t in Kansas anymore. He’s in a new realm, complete with unknown elements, unrealized potential, and magic. He expects to have doubts and fears arise in his consciousness. He dismisses these and stays with his intention to act.
    As you walk the path, stay aligned with growth and learning. You are in a paradoxical situation because you will tend to be drawn to comfort, security, and “successes.” But these cannot be attained directly. Only by focusing your attention into the moment and on the process, not on the outcome, can you arrive at the place you desire.
    It’s a very personal journey. It’s your journey. You will find yourself at odds with the ways of the masses, whose lives are focused on striving for comfort and security. The Warrior’s Way is a lonely journey and doesn’t wait for respect or approval from others.
    Reading this book will automatically improve your awareness. That’s an important first step. It’s the preparation phase. Ponder what you’ve read. Process it. Now, you face the transition phase. You face the choice. Will you move forward into the challenge, or retreat to your comfort zone? Reach deep down within you and pull out the courage to walk the warrior’s path. Decide to apply it wholeheartedly on the rocks.
    Remember also, the Rock Warrior’s Way is a way of balance and harmony and there is a life purpose behind it. The important things we want, redpoints included, are simply stepping-stones to living a more peaceful life. We want to be at peace with ourselves and be able to maintain that peace in the face of adversity. The ability to do that is the highest expression of the warrior’s power.
    Accept the journey. Be at peace in it. Watch it. When you can be at one with the difficulty and the chaos, then you transcend it. You simply walk your path, being observant, paying attention, learning and growing in your understanding of who you are and what is possible for you. Approached in the warrior’s way, the rock will teach you.

    Photo: Jeff Achey

Exercises
    Introduction
    1. Setting an Intention
    Whatever you choose to practice, set an intention. In the climbing exercises below, set a conscious intention prior to leaving the ground. Your partner can help. Ask your belayer not to yell vague encouragement, such as, “Go for it!” or, “You can do it!” but rather