When a human being achieves the seemingly impossible, I think we should take a moment to stop and think about the how. Then, use the how to inspire our bold steps towards our own aspirations.
I’m not a fan of going to the movies, but watching Free Solo was well worth seeing on the big screen. I was blabbing about it for two days, commenting on it so passionately. This film hit me to the core. Watching Alex Honnold’s journey towards the impossible, the puzzle pieces of life came together before my eyes. I got it. Alex Honnold got it. I understood that our time on earth is more than just survival. It’s about living.
For those who haven’t seen Free Solo, it’s a documentary on Alex Honnold’s incredible achievement of free solo climbing Yosemite’s El Capitan, a granite wall of 3,200 feet. In other words, Honnold climbed this massive wall of slippery foot-holes and tricky maneuvers with absolutely no rope. He climbed for 3 hours and 56 minutes, relying on just his fingers and the edges of his feet. Any mistake, at any moment, could lead him to his death.
Sounds crazy, right? For me, I understood why Honnold, in fact, wasn’t crazy at all. He understood the meaning of life: to live.
For eight years, Honnold looked up at the impossible feat of El Capitan and made it his ultimate goal to achieve. Many people make goals, and never even take that first step to achieve it. Honnold intentionally worked toward his goal, practicing the routes, taking notes on his strategies, never giving up, even when he ran into obstacles. Yes, he had to face the biggest risk of all – of dying. But, despite this risk, he found such complete joy in his journey of climbing El Capitan that he was willing to take the risk in order to live that joy. He felt alive doing something that ironically could lead to his death. He knew that death is everyone’s end, so why not choose to do something that makes that life worthwhile?
During the film, Honnold spoke about the difference between climbing and free solo climbing. To free solo climb, one has to climb perfectly, because imperfection can result in death. For Honnold, free solo climbing is the most perfect he ever gets to be. This instantly made me think of my own strive for personal perfection: Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga is one long sequence of yoga poses, with each movement matched to an inhale or exhale. It’s a challenging practice, but with dedication, you find more perfection in your flow. Upon achievement of one series of poses, you can move up to the next series. Each series is an opportunity to reach a new personal perfection. Similarly, Honnold expands his own personal perfection as he seeks out new challenges, such as climbing El Capitan. In this context, perfection isn’t the societal meaning of ‘perfection.’ It’s one’s own personal achievement. It’s one’s own perfection, not the perfection of others. It’s discovering your own abilities, and believing that you are capable of achievement. We all have the capacity for achievement.
Making this connection between Honnold’s free soloing and my Ashtanga yoga, I realized that Honnold’s climbing was his meditation. Honnold’s climbing was his connection to the present, to his inner, deeper self. He is aware of his breath, his movements, and his surroundings. When one lets go of the external crap – the worries created in one’s mind, the judgements of others, the problems that are out of one’s control – then one has the space to just be. That’s what Honnold is doing while he’s up on that wall, his life literally in his hands. Connecting to your deeper self, to your perfect self in meditation doesn’t have to be merely sitting on the floor with your legs crossed. It can be anything that you find pure joy and presence in. It’s that thing that makes you remember that you are alive.
So what can you take from Honnold’s 3,200-foot achievement? Discover what is your wall to climb. Can you find joy in the climb, no matter how difficult it is, or how many obstacles you come across? Can you choose to live in that climb, rather than shrink away from it in fear? Are you willing to believe in your own capacity for personal perfection? Think about the choices you make. You can choose to live, or you can choose to merely survive.
If you want a glimpse of Free Solo, watch the trailer here:
