Motivational Bollocks

“You can’t fall if you don’t climb… but there’s no joy living life on the ground.” — Someone with unrealistic expectations.

This motivational quote was surely written with good intent, to inspire me to chase my dreams and goals, however, it’s dangerous and untrue, unrealistically telling me to attempt the impossible.

Mountain climbers don’t spend their entire lives climbing. They train, sleep, eat, rest and socialise, then on some days, they climb. Very occasionally, they reach the summit. Most of their lives are spent on the ground, or looking at the climb ahead. They might even stop and rest, whilst actually climbing.

Joy can be found on the ground if it’s the time in between climbs. These are vital moments of softness, stillness and peace. If I try and climb every waking hour, I’ll get tired and fall.

Which is how this week has felt.

I forgot to spend time on the ground. There has been abundant joy, I’ve laughed and smiled and felt the warmth of human expression. But I’ve been trying to climb all day, every day, from 6am until midnight. I’ve started missing footholds and on some days, I simply haven’t had the emotional energy to attack the next face.

But that’s OK, because I’ve admitted it by writing this. I’m not Superman, I’m human and just like the world’s best mountaineers, I can’t spend my entire life climbing.