Climbing to the top hurts, but it's fun.

I recently restarted rock climbing, an old passion of mine, and, in my opinion, a sport where strategy and thinking are imperative. Coincidentally, I also decided to take an e-course at Cornell and a writing course at Elephant Journal, decisions, which, taken together, seemed like good ideas at the time, and they absolutely are, but they added to my stress levels a bit. Anyway, with so much on my plate lately, I started thinking about challenges, and I feel that being an entrepreneur is by far the biggest test I've ever undertaken. Sure, being a mom and racing Ironman races were equally inspiring, but dropping out of a stable, corporate job to become my own boss was sort of a big deal for me.

 See, for me, climbing rocks and owning a company are very similar. You go from hold to hold (strategy), trying to keep your feet directly below you (positioning), going from moving to keeping still (pacing), and often you have to fall and restart from the ground (patience). Furthermore, good climbers first climb with their eyes; then the body follows, which, for me, is the definition of sticking to the plan.

 Humans tend to follow Freud's “Pleasure-Pain principle,” meaning that they will move towards things that bring them pleasure and try to move away from whatever brings them pain. In my case, participating in sports that are more difficult and maybe a little dangerous brings me pleasure (maybe Freud can explain this one too), and as equally fun as being a business owner.

 Not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur or tackle a risky sport to be successful. There are plenty of people who are wildly successful and have the exact life they want because they are pouring their heart and soul and mind into work that they believe makes a difference and that makes them happy. The same goes for their hobbies and the sports they practice.  And that’s enough. My point here is this: do whatever makes you happy, but remember to always wear the right equipment and the required mindset for your activities.

Full disclosure #1: My business coach Cheri Ruskus came up with the idea about this post. If you don’t follow her, you should. She is a rockstar.

Full disclosure #2: Our editor Julia Sanderson is responsible for all the correct use of grammar in this post. You should connect with her.