Being a warrior
I recently read “The Rock Warrior’s Way” by Arno Ilgner. As you might guess from the title, it describes a mental training practice aimed at adventure athletes in general and rock climbers in particular. Published in 2003, it was far ahead of its time in addressing the mental aspects of rock climbing and in the breadth of resources that it draws upon.
Ilgner weaves together elements from the classical “warrior” literature (e.g. Carlos Castenada; The Teachings of Don Juan, the Toltec Wisdoms, etc.), modern sports psychology, and the early elements of what is today commonly referred to as mindfulness (e.g. the principles of Zen Buddhism, the writings of Eckhart Tolle, etc.), to provide a training manual for learning how to focus finite mental resources during a challenging effort.
The main effort of focus for this book is (obviously) rock climbing, but the skills and the process can be equally applied in many aspects of one’s life, from business and personal relationships to life science R&D.
One of the shocking realities of doing any serious self-reflection is the degree to which we react to situations based on old fear-driven patterns. The further we move out of our comfort zone and onto the Sharp End, the easier it becomes to simply react using ineffective modalities, that may have served us once in a different situation but are not productive today.
To advance in rock climbing and in life, eventually, you are forced to acknowledge that “What got you here, won’t get you there”, (another exceptional read, by Marshall Goldsmith!). Make no mistake, this is not a “New Age” quick fix for your troubles; it is a life-long road map for observing the who, what, how, and why of your current experience, accepting where you are in this moment, and committing to developing new mental approaches that are better suited to advance your ascent up the mountain of life.
“The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse.” — Carlos Castaneda
