The Push: A Climber's Search for the Path

by Tommy Caldwell

After all this time, I finally realize that these years of training, rehearsing, memorizing—they’re as much, or maybe more, about building belief as they are about getting stronger.

He essentially has to give up in order to be free enough to perform his best.

Flow, that state of optimal experience in which one feels fully engaged, is one of the most magical experiences a person can have.

If you find yourself failing over and over, sometimes it’s best to just give up and find another way.

I once heard a description of how waves are formed. They start with far-off storms that result in tiny ripples carried great distances by the wind. Over thousands of miles, these undulations combine, organize, build in size. A pattern emerges and creates a swell. When the swell approaches land, the bottom of the ocean pushes the energy skyward and a wave forms, standing upright for one glorious moment. Generally, the bigger and fiercer the storm at its genesis, the bigger the wave. If Kyrgyzstan was my storm, maybe the Dawn Wall was my wave.

Embrace the unknown. Push through the difficult moments, work with them.