In 1992 I began what became a two-year process of letting go of street drugs so I could spend more time with my new-found love, climbing.
When I give presentations, I inevitably get asked the same question: “Didn’t you just trade in one addiction for another?”
And I always give the same answer:
Yes, and no; it hinges on intention.
When we engage in an activity to escape, or run away from our lives, it falls into the category of addiction.
But when we use an activity to go more deeply into the present moment and the state of our psyches, to move into our discomfort to learn from it and heal, it is the furthest thing from addiction, which is connection.
Climbing taught me how to connect to the joy and aliveness that can only be accessed in the present moment, where we are freed from the pain of the past and the fear of the future. It taught me to trust other humans, even if it was only one or two to start with. And it taught me how to connect with the power of the universe that is contained and expressed most vividly in the natural environment.
If you find yourself in fear in these trying times, remember that distraction is but a hamster wheel that leads nowhere.
Focused intention, however, on things that bring you joy and aliveness, as well as help you cleanse and reclaim your mind and emotions, can lead you so deeply into a state of being where chaos gives way to clarity, where paralyzing anxiety is transformed into purpose-driven action, and where you co-create your life from a more powerful and effective version of yourself.
