Blog

Passion and Balance

• August 2011
• Hi Steph Simple Living Climb Travel

Hey Steph,
What kind of advice to have for a climber who is trying to maintain the balance between loving climbing and being obsessed with it? Is it a good idea, in your opinion, to train hard for the sport or should I just climb when I whenever! Also, why isn’t there much racial diversity in the sport of climbing? I’ll bet you are pretty busy conquering mountains and such, so take your time getting back to me.
Brandon

Hey Steph,
My name is Dustin, and I am a huge fan of yours. Seriously, I admire everything you do, and you really inspire me as a climber and a person. I recently finished reading your book, and I absolutely loved it (it will be re-read many times in the future)! I’ve been climbing seriously for a year now, though it’s been an on-and-off activity for about 6. In the past year, I’ve found that climbing is something I really can’t live without – it’s a big part of how I express myself, with the other being music. I climb about 3 times a week indoors, working up into 5.12 sport routes and V6 problems. I’m trying to make it less about the grades and more about the experience, and that mentality is slowly developing. My love for the outdoors started with surfing and the beach and has grown to encompass climbing, mountains, and everything about nature, really. For me, it’s something that’s difficult to put into words, but easy to understand if you’ve felt the same feelings before – a sort of unrequited love, a hopeless romanticism.

But here’s the crux of my email (okay bad climbing joke). I’m currently a full time Masters student in Washington, D.C., and in just a few short months I’ll be completely graduated and off into the “real world”, trying to find a job and working the regular 9-5. I feel as if my entire life has been guided and focused down this path, and the outcome seems inevitable. Which, really, isn’t a terrible thing – at the very least, I enjoy what I study and do look forward to finding a job within my field. But I’m really worried that, somewhere in all of the responsibility and career work and such, that adventurous spirit and passion for the outdoors I’ve developed is just going to slowly fade away.

I know that I’m here for a reason, whatever that may be. At least part of it seems to be what I’m studying (all the academics, the studies, the research, on and on…), but the other part is definitely deeply intertwined with climbing, nature, and adventure. Sometimes, I feel as if my life would be so much more fulfilling if I became a climbing instructor or guide and spent my life continuing to learn and teach and explore. But I know that the two existences are really mutually exclusive, and living 100% in either reality will be impossible. So really, what I’m wondering is if you have any advice for finding a balance, a compromise between these two conflicting lifestyles? I’ve always struggled with balance – both literally (with surfing and just…walking in a straight line) and figuratively (with life, with activities, with relationships…). You really seem to have found something that works for you, and though I know the same won’t be true for me, anything you can recommend would be appreciated!

Anyways – thanks so much, I realize this email is probably a bit rambling and long-winded. I hope life is nothing short of amazing for you right now, and keep climbing and being awesome!
All the best,
~Dustin

Dear Steph,
I’ve only recently been getting into climbing, and stumbled upon your blog today after googling “pianist climber” (I guess it was the Suzuki method question you had answered! – I was just curious if there were any out there that could comment on the soreness of my first finger joints). Your blog is so engaging and you seem to be inspiring so many people to live life freely. I’ve already read a few pages of your book in Amazon’s preview, and can’t wait to buy/read it. As a ‘pianist’ who may be doing the University thing based on its “respectability,” I find it so encouraging to learn about the path you’ve taken, in which you’ve risked so much for a passion you know deep down to be truly yours; this is something I’ve struggled with for a while, and although I’ve been able to experience few bouts of adventure/outdoor love, I find it highly lacking in my current situation (in flat Dallas, of all places!). I’m curious to read about your path in your book, especially how you managed to stay alive living on nothing (almost nothing?), but if you have any comments or advice for me on balancing adventure/responsibility, I’d so appreciate it. I know this may be a fear of money/stability that I need to overcome, if I’m looking to relocate to a place where I can exercise my love of the outdoors easily – it just seems so daunting with undergraduate debt (boo). Anyway, your blog has been so encouraging already – thank you for being an inspiration to so many!
Best,
Jo

Ps. Anyway, my question about climbing and playing piano was a general concern – I know that both are at-risk activities to carpal tunnel/tendonitis/other finger/hand injuries; are there some specific techniques or things to be aware of that can help me prevent injury to my fingers/hands while climbing? I think I may have been doing too much too soon with the climbing bit, and am currently taking it easier by resting and climbing less frequently during the week.

Hi Steph,
I really enjoyed your book and am inspired by all the great things you do! I’m wondering: do you ever feel excited about too many things at once so that it’s hard to focus enough on just one? I ask this because I am recently discovering more and more new sports or activities that I love (just started climbing about a year ago, I’m enjoying it so much!), but finding these new passions doesn’t seem to take away any of my excitement for the old ones. Yet, to push myself and improve in any one thing (something I very much enjoy), it seems that I may have to let something go.

For example, two of the things (among others) I am really passionate about right now are trail running and climbing. But they don’t always seem to complement each other, and it can be hard to find time and energy to do them both. As a consequence I feel somewhat stagnant in both areas. But I’m not sure whether I can cut back on one for the sake of improvement in the other. My excitement for climbing is new, so that’s where I feel the most raw excitement. But my love of running has been with me for so long that I can’t imagine life without it.

Thanks so much for any advice or perspective you can give! I always love hearing (or reading about) your outlook on these kind of things!
Holly

Dear Brandon, Dustin, Jo and Holly,
First of all, thank you very much for writing to me. It’s a privilege for me to get to have small glimpses into your lives.

With many conversations I have, here and elsewhere, it seems like we are always coming back to the same thing–how to find balance, and how to reconcile that with passion. It’s a funny question, because they are two things that really don’t seem to go together. This is something I’ve thought about a lot when reading the poems of Rumi and then comparing that with Zen Buddhism, the two philosophies that most resonate with me. I’m attracted to both, but I find them kind of polar in a way, and that way is the treatment of passion. Sufism seems to suit my natural tendency, which is to completely embrace passion and value it above all. Zen Buddhism seems to suit a state that I have gradually learned to aspire toward, which is equanimity.

So those things seem kind of opposed to me, and I wonder which way to follow. Right now, I think it must be both, at least for me. I seem to be incapable of doing my best at anything I’m not totally passionate about–this is what I associate with the Sufi spirit. However, I have also learned that to be guided completely by emotion is not always correct or productive. Stopping to take time to reflect and consider before doing anything almost always leads to better decisions and feelings. Cultivating a state of equanimity is always positive, and this is what I have learned from Buddhism.

So I believe that the best way of all is to cherish your passion and rejoice in it while seeking balance at the same time. Kind of like, “trust in Allah, but always tie down your camel.” Or kind of like, fruit is delicious, and so are vegetables–we need both! It’s possible to be guided by two seemingly different minds, they can exist in harmony. This is what I think about when pondering over the questions you are all pondering.
🙂 Steph