Try Something New - Finish What You've Started

As interested as I am in human potential, especially in the realm of all things physical, I’ve never been impressed by the practice of setting new year’s resolutions. First off, like most holidays, its continued practice is almost entirely due to its ability to perpetuate consumerism. Secondly, and more depressing, is the way that New Years has become a sign post of sorts for people to make commitments to change which they intend, almost from the get go, on breaking. How many times have I heard “I’m gonna go get another gym membership. I’ll probably only last one month.” It seems that something is flawed in this practice and I’d like to suggest a slightly different approach.

I’ve never understood why our calendar year starts just after the beginning of winter (in the northern hemisphere that is), a season which marks the end of most life cycles. Bears retreat into hibernation, surviving on fat reserves they’ve spent the rest of the year developing. After gifting us their sweet fruit, trees drop leaves and hold tight to the ground while the daylight quickly disappears into darkness. Winter is a time of survival. Life hunkers down, relying on its deepest reserves of vitality, and simply waits it out.

So how can we adapt the idea of new year’s resolutions to better fit into the cycles of the planet? Given that January 1st happens to be during time of year where survival is most difficult might we consider turning our focus to the preservation of this past years projects? Its not as if last year was a total waste right? Don’t get me wrong here. It was a shit storm by all accounts, especially for me and my loved ones, but over the course of 365 days all of us created success in our own way. It seems silly to turn quality attention away from these things and put all that we have into something new. Its cold and wet and the holidays have sapped our emotional energy. Credit cards are maxed and the swine flu is out to get everyone. While the waves are big, the water is frigid and, worst of all, taxes are coming. Hold on tight to that which you’ve already committed to. On New Years forget about starting, but rather remind yourself of all the things you’d like to finish. Look in the mirror and instead of seeing the ways that you’ve failed, acknowledge the dreams, projects and accomplishments of this last year and vow to not drop the ball. Its the end of the race. Don’t give up now.

I’ve got two major projects on my plate, both catalyzed by my little tumble over the summer. Long time readers of this blog know that I injured my shoulder just before flying off to Europe in the summer of 2008. Well, that injury never got better. In fact, its felt like a lead weight for a long time now. The SLAP lesion will require surgery and an extended recovery period (I’m told up to 3 months in a sling - then rehab), something that would normally scare the shit out of me. Like most athletes I fear life on the couch. The thought of not being able to get out there, train, compete, fail and then eventually succeed is terrifying. While those numbers seemed daunting a year ago, these days, 3 months sounds like a long weekend. Shit, I’ve been on crutches for more than 4 months and I’ve got at least a few more to go. If I ever walk again, shoulder surgery is gonna be a piece of cake. So the goal on this front is two fold. Find the will to get through this whole leg issue, and then when I get the green light, commit to yet another “vacation” and repair the shoulder.

The second project is the more interesting one. Life on the couch is one of movies, books, and whole lot of contemplation. Since my return from Europe, I’ve known, in some walk-in closet of my mind, that a big change is necessary in my professional life. Cooking for the rich and famous has been great, but simply put, Micah needs to step it up a bit. However, the same road block is there every time I seek out other options. I need more skills, knowledge and experience. So a few months ago I started looking into graduate programs. There were some missteps initially, but in move that is very out of character, I’ve decided to apply to a number of MBA programs. (Cut in audio clip of a record stopping here). I figure the best way to improve any system is to strengthen the weakest link. The skills I serve to learn in an MBA program seem the best suited for this sort of action in my life. Applications are due around Feb 1 and I’ve got tons of work to do. So, the goal here is to finish this process off by submitting superb applications and finding my way into a quality program this fall.

If all goes well I’ll be pretty psyched come 2011. My body will finally be healthy enough to support my thirst for adventure and I’ll have plenty to keep my mind busy with as I wrap up the first semester of school. Sounds nice. I think I’ll get out there and make it happen.

Bosco says "Be like me. Work hard and finish what you've started. Its been the key to my success."

Train much?

Training is so fucking awesome. For those that find me a bit long winded, honestly, just stop here. That’s really all I have to say.

Last week I watched an HBO Real Sports segment about Ashrita Furman, the man who holds the world record for, yep, the most world records. At the time the show was recorded he had almost 100 world records under his belt! Unbelievable. I knew there had to be a catch, and there was,... sort of.

Ashrita records include things like “longest walk with a quart of milk balanced on the head”, “longest distance traveled somersaulting”, “most apples sliced in half by a samurai sword in one minute”, “fastest mile while carrying another person”, and lets not forget “longest continuos juggle while pogo-sticking”. The rad part is, he does all these ridiculous things REALLY well. For example, that walk with a quart of milk on his head was 80 miles. The somersaulting went on for 12. This guy is totally nuts right? Yeah, of course he is, but he’s also totally stoked.

Turns out Ashrita is really into transcendental meditation. In high school he met a fairly prominent teacher who introduced him to the practice and he quickly took to it and devoted himself in more ways than one. From his site.

My teacher's philosophy of self-transcendence, of overcoming your limits and making daily progress spiritually, creatively and physically using the power of meditation, really thrilled me. However, I was a bit unsure about the physical part in my case due to my lifelong commitment to nerdiness!

That all changed literally overnight several years later in 1978, when my teacher encouraged me to participate in a 24-hour bicycle race sponsored by Pepsi Cola in New York City. Sri Chinmoy knew what he was doing. I had an epiphany that night on my bicycle while riding around the course in Central Park. I realized firsthand that if you can connect with your inner source and be receptive to a higher Grace, you can accomplish anything.

Ashrita spends his days running a vitamin shop in New York and all of his free time training for ridiculous records and he loves it and honestly, I love this guy. He’s commited to challenging himself in whatever ways he can, and is so fucking unabashedly “himself” during all of it. He likes hula hooping. So he hula hoops. Or maybe he’s feeling the somersault thing, so he gets into that for a while.

I’m convinced. Challenge is one of the keys to happiness. Talk to anyone who’s attempted a birthday challenge and I think they’ll agree. Of course these things doesn’t have to be physical. Take the example of the business tycoon who keeps coming out of retirement. He can have/do whatever he wants, but nothing gets him off like work used to. This guy gets so bored and depressed without the constant struggle to make a shitload of money, that he goes back to work! My 15 year old dog is his happiest just before dinner every night. He stands up, smiles, barks, jumps, trots and sticks his ass in the air and stutter steps like he’s ready to play. He’s psyched! This old beat up dog is so driven by that goal that he’ll do anything to get fed, and during the process he’s very, very much alive.

Which leads me back to training. Elijah and I are both laid up for a while. Well, actually he’s an asshole and gets to start walking soon, but whatever the case its been almost 4 months for me and 2 months for him since we last “went for a jog”. Of course we both have responsibilities. He’s got a job and I’ve got... uh... stuff that I do, but I know for a fact that both of us are the most psyched when we’re at The Shed (top secrect training facility powered by soul - the Marvin Gay and Barry White type, but there’s been allot of Cameo playing lately... and Wutang when Elija’s in charge) training.

We’ve lucked out you see. If climbing hard is one’s thing (and that’s our thing), loosing the ability to walk for a period of time is sort of useful. Fingerboard workouts and campusing are the preferred methods for developing power and neither of these tools require or encourage the use of feet. We’d be more hard pressed with broken fingers.

Phil cranks out one of my current projects almost 2 decades ago at the old video shop

So during this time of restricted mobility I’ve spent more time hanging from the Yaniro powerboard than I once thought was humanly possible. Last week I logged nearly 6 hours on this most beautiful of finger boards. Elijah is currently completing almost 500 campus moves a week! Towards the end of a 200 move day he looks over at me and says,

“Dude, if I’m not cranking by the time I can walk again, I might quit climbing.”

I know the feeling. Yes, all this insanity IS in the name of climbing which we all agree is a worthwhile activity. I’ll be pretty surprised if we don’t come out of this climbing hard, because from what I can see we’re both as strong, or stronger, than ever. The odd part is, aside from those last few moves of a murderous workout, we’re totally stoked on our short term training goals that revolve around the “toys” we play with at The Shed. These are things that many people would lump into the Ashrita Furman category, and I totally agree. Attempting to hang my body weight from some small man made hold is a pretty weird goal to have. However, I can only speak for myself, but I have a feeling Elija (and Phil) would agree, when I say that my campus board project is just as good as any “real” climbing project.

Like I said - training is fucking awesome.