The Power of Mindset

“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” — Apple’s “Think Different” Campaign

I’m a big believer that we, as humans, are not limited by how much skill or talent we have; we are limited by how we think about our ability to take on more and more difficult challenges. Seems obvious, right? But think about the last time you told yourself that you couldn’t do something. What did you do?

This March, I visited Zion National Park with a group of friends. We were intent on hiking Zion’s famed and treacherous Angel’s Landing peak. After about 3 miles of smooth hiking, we reached the start of the Angel’s Landing trail (trail is a generous term here, it was more of a giant pointy rock rising a 1,488 feet above the canyon floor). At many points along the trail, the only thing preventing you from falling to imminent death is a metal chain that you hold on to.

As someone who is afraid of heights, I was terrified. Compounding my fear of heights, I made the less than ideal choice of wearing running shoes with limited grip. At the beginning of the hike, my shoes kept slipping, and I actually stopped and told my friends to go on without me.

I sat there for at least 15 minutes. Just sat there on the side of the mountain. Watched people, young and old, pass me. At around 10 minutes, I took a step back and started evaluating my situation. Why couldn’t I climb this mountain? Was it really the shoes? Or was it my fear of heights?

Will Smith (yes that Will Smith) said that “The best things in life are on the other side of terror, on the other side of your maximum fear, are all of the best things in life.” When you get so caught up in the fear, you lose sight of the goal. When you lose sight of the goal, you return to what’s comfortable to you. You return to sitting at the bottom of the mountain.

So after 15 minutes, I decided that I wasn’t going to let my fear hold me back. I decided to keep that goal in sight, but to also take it one step at a time. Left, right, left, right. It was just like walking, except technically, I could fall off the side and die, I guess. Could.

By the time I caught up with my friends, I found it manageable. While the path was still treacherous, and the trail narrow, I had learned to adjust. Grasp the chain, right, left, grasp another part of the chain, right, left. Repeat. Keep moving forward. My mind was still screaming, telling me to stop…but my body kept moving. Right, left, right, left.

As I reached the summit, I realized that it wasn’t the steep slopes, or the slippery steps, or even my low grip shoes that had held me back. It was my fear of climbing higher. I was afraid of climbing this mountain because climbing this mountain would’ve meant I had to leave my comfort zone; it meant I had to venture out to an area where success is not guaranteed. But that’s where growth happens. That’s where life happens.

There’s a great article by Psychologist Benjamin Hardy called, “If It Doesn’t Suck, It’s Not Worth Doing,” that describes the Navy SEAL’s 40% Rule. Essentially, this rule states that people feel maxed-out and incapable of going on when they’ve only used 40% of their actual capacity. Anywhere past this 40%, and we get uncomfortable. And we quit.

Hardy details how Jesse Itzler, founder of the 100 Mile Group, was challenged to do 100 pull-ups. In response, Itzler said, “Well we’re going to be here for quite some time because there’s no way I can do 100.” However, Itzler completed the challenge, doing one pull-up at a time. Right there, Itzler proved to himself that “we’re all capable of so much more than we think we are.”

Now, I’m not saying you (or I) should go out and do something really dangerous. I’m not saying you can fly just because you believe you can. I’m not saying you can become a world-class athlete by telling yourself you are. I’m not even saying you can become the best version of yourself just because you think you can. But I’m saying you have the capability to be more, to train harder, to study longer, to run farther. To be more than what you thought you were capable of.

So, to myself and everyone else who got this far:

The next time you think you’re scared or incapable: remember that life’s best feelings are on the other side of fear, and believe that when you think you’ve done all you can, you’re only at 40% of what you’re capable of.

You got this.