december thirty-first twenty ten

A few days ago, on my way home from work, I tuned my radio to NPR in order to catch the tail end of From The Top, a program that showcases a different set of young, brilliant musicians each week. I've always taken great interest in the show, but this particular episode was exceptionally remarkable.

The program featured 10-year old trumpet player Natalie Dungey from Issaquah, WA. What I found more striking than her performance (the gravity of which I cannot convey) was her incredibly guided resolve to excel in her craft. To hear such a young person speak with such conviction is as refreshing as it is rare.

To hear people my age speak with such conviction is rare.

When asked how her age has influenced her sensibilities as a musician, she responded by saying, "It doesn't matter how old you are, it matters how hard you work." I think that's something to think about as we round the bend into twenty-eleven.

Photo by Dane Iwata

So, that in mind, let's switch gears. As people often do during the days leading up to the New Year, we find ourselves finalizing plans with friends, pinning down improbable resolutions for the year to come, and reflecting on the year that has passed. I personally hate year-end reviews and new year's resolutions, so I won't subject anyone to a recap of the last 365 days of my life or my outlook for the next 365.

For most, the New Year seems to be the most logical place to make a clean break. A blank canvas is home to endless potential and incredible opportunities. And that sounds good, right? But the reality is that in life there is no so such thing as a clean break. The calendar year is a human invention after all; it's a tangible way to record and measure time. But time passes regardless of how we decide to measure it, so why wait for the New Year to elicit personal change? 

To be clear, I'm not asserting that having the resolve to affect change in one's life is a bad thing; I'm simply suggesting that we re-evaluate our motivations for seeking such a change. These campaigns for personal growth should be made because we truly want what's best for us, and not because we feel obligated to "commit" to a New Year's resolution that will most probably be abandoned by the next commercially driven holiday (Valentine's Day).

So when you find yourself penning your resolutions on paper (as if that would some how solidify the contract you've drawn up in your head), or when you find yourself sifting through your back log of excuses in order to get away from those very same resolutions, keep Natalie in mind. Work hard because you truly want something. And if you truly want something, take the reigns.

See you in 2011.

let's take slow steps

Since my last post, I've been doing my best to switch gears. After several months of living the renegade lifestyle, it's time to buckle down. I was able to find work part-time, but my search for an internship has yet to yield a favorable result. I've also made my peace with climbing in the gym, and I've starting pulling plastic on the regular. In addition to getting paid and stacking paper, I've been spending a fair amount of time in the library. It's become a kind of sanctuary- a place to get some personal work done without the usual distractions. It may not be the most exciting series of developments, but I feel fortunate to have some normalcy in my life after enduring a year plagued by misfortune and uncertainty.

The recent cold snap and unexpected snow fall have all but guaranteed that climbing in Southern Illinois will not be an option for quite a while. So that's the new struggle- finding ways to stay motivated and building momentum for the following year. Warmer weather is still months away, and that's a tough pill to swallow.

Until then, I've started the process of drafting my goals for 2011. This time around my goals aren't as concrete as they have been in the past. Rather than setting goals based on a numerical progression, I've decided that it would be best for me to round out my skill sets as a climber by exploring new destinations and new disciplines. Such a move may force me to scale back expectations, but I'm willing to check my ego for the sake of personal growth. That being said, I'm hoping to make a push for Rumney, New Hampshire and The New River Gorge in West Virginia this Spring. From what I've been told, both areas seem to have incredibly specific styles that rely on power and a technical prowess; I look forward to the challenge

My secondary goal is to make my way west for the summer. I would like to put some hours in Rifle, Colorado and Ten Sleep, Wyoming. I've heard amazing things about Ten Sleep, but I haven't ventured to Wyoming since February of this year. With the right running crew, I'd like to see that change.

In addition to switching up the yearly circuit, I've decided to finally pull the trigger and address my major weak link as a climber: strength. I'm still very much aware of my chronic battle with elbow tendonitis (one that kept me out of the game from Fall 2008 to Fall 2009), but I'm growing tired of allowing it to stunt my progression despite diligent and calculated efforts to keep it at bay. I've spent the last few weeks in the gym building a base (read: bouldering) in an attempt to prepare for my training schedule for the first quarter of the year. I've set aside two months within my plan to allow my body to acclimate to these new stress levels. Once I've adapted, my hope is that I will be able to increase volume and intensity with the overall goal being to begin sport specific training by mid-January.

Staying motivated under the circumstances is difficult, but I think setting goals and supplementing your personal climbing experience with specific literature, videos, events, etc. are key to surviving the winter. Luckily, we've been fortunate enough to have several recent releases to keep us pulling plastic and suffering in the gym until the weather breaks. 2011 is around the corner- what are you doing to keep good vibes on high?

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