On our last Men’s Coaching Retreat at Cherokee Rock Village, I learned that often, in order to climb a pitch, it’s more helpful to focus on little movements to overcome an obstacle.

I was trying a climb that had a slight overhang, meaning that the rock bulged out from the side of the cliff. I spent about ten minutes trying to find a way to get my feet over this obstacle, moving left and right, looking for some way to find a foothold as my arms and legs weren’t able to move together due to the rock bulging out into my abdomen. At this point, I was done and ready to call it quits.

Enter my friend Bill, who was able to see me from the top of the climb. As he peered over the edge, he encouraged me to try for a hold just a few inches to the right of where I was reaching. Up to this point, I had been trying to make big moves with my feet for leverage, but just couldn’t find one. Instead, I just shifted my feet a few inches, which gave me the ability to reach this new hold Bill was pointing out.

This is often the way it goes in life. I see an obstacle and try to overcome it with huge, sweeping movements (change my job, geography, community, etc.). More often than not, small changes are more effective at helping me get to where I’m going.

“What can I change in how I live today?” is a much better question than “What can I change to fix my life?”

It could be as subtle as changes to my sleep routine, focus at work, self-talk, or exercise.

Not only do those small movements help, but having a trusted ally who has a different perspective is invaluable. I was completely fatigued when Bill looked over the rock at me, ready to lower and call it done. When he gave me a new perspective, I was able to find a new source of energy that helped me make one more movement.

So, today, instead of focusing on how you can achieve the big goal or change the big picture, look for the small movements you can implement that can help you gain better traction. Then, you’ll likely be surprised by what new movements offer themselves up.

The reason we do all this rock-climbing is because of how directly transferrable the metaphors are to the rest of our life. I feel that I learn something new about life, as well as rock-climbing, every time we go out. If you’re interested in joining us, be sure to check out our events page, or go to Bill’s site here.