PAY HEED TO THE EXPANSIVE WHISPERS

I went to the rock climbing gym alone last night (for the first time) and loved it. It was quiet, I was one of 10 or 15 other climbers. Everybody’s climbing outside in the warmth and sunshine this summer! I made new climbing friends which I love, cruised some dynamic 5.8’s, bouldered, and trust-fell into the auto belay a few times… it all felt so good.

A part of me didn’t want to go and thought, “I’m tired of being bold, I’m uncomfortable from putting myself out there, and I don’t like being rejected,” but it wasn’t really those things I was tired of—it was more the anticipation of the same discomfort I’d experienced in the past as a result of being those ways… from all the situations I’d consequently dealt with after putting myself in instances where I’d been met with anything but receptivity, kindness, or availability.

This one principle applies to every area of life: we mustn’t allow past experiences to restrain our capacity to meet the present. We should commit to acting in ways that build our character and shape us into who we want to be. Exclusively following the small, bruised voice of an ego who is holding onto the pain of the past will never allow us to reach new heights and grow into the people we aspire to be. There’s always a time and place to honor those tender feelings however!

Choosing to climb alone last night is now my direct testament and felt experience to back the fact that mostly every time I choose to extend myself in a way that could garner expansion, connection, or adventure, that happens, especially when my intuition tells me so. As a result I come home feeling fuller and more relaxed.

Yes, there’s always a risk. But what is there to lose in life? Our expectations fulfilled, or our attachments to particular outcomes? Vulnerability is a superpower. Surrendering is a superpower. Putting myself out there while honoring my intuition is always most rewarding. Over time, that voice that holds me back shrinks the less I listen to it.

It’s not the results or outcomes that matter so much as the commitment to pursuing behaviors, actions, and values that align with the kind of person I want to be. That means I get to be that person for the people around me, which is also incredibly rewarding.

I’m moving forward in life, choosing expansion, and loving and honoring this past version of myself in all she’s traversed to bring me here. Cheers to cultivating a new baseline.

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