Scaling Half Dome, Scaling Mindset
While on a trail in the middle of the woods, what more is there to do than to learn about mindset?
Going on a trip for my 19th birthday, Yosemite national park was the perfect destination. Not only did we camp, hike, fish, but we also learned and reflected on our thinking processes. There were three main lessons that I learned along the way.
Nearly 5,000 feet of inclination, 16 miles of trail, climbing past two waterfalls, and 400 feet of chain-link with over 1,000 foot drop off at both sides sparked some thinking.
Hopefully, through the POV video, you can experience part of the journey with me. In the video explaining my three lessons, I will go over the storyline along with the lessons: adopt a growth mindset, experience gratitude, overcome fear.
Lessons:
Adopt a Growth Mindset
In Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset, she speaks about the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. A growth mindset approaches obstacles with the lens of an opportunity to learn something new. When adopting a growth mindset, failure is seen as a lesson instead of as a negative.?
I was unsure of my physical capabilities when hiking the trail. It is 16 miles which were well over the usual few, a challenge. Additionally, if I were to continue I would be alone. My father was not going to accompany me along a hike, nor did he have the growth mindset to try. I did not have the required permit for the final 400 feet of chain incline nor did I have an awareness of the details that would pop up during the day. My tolerance for failure was tested and I am glad it was.
Adopting either a growth mindset or fixed mindset is a choice we could all make. I chose to approach this choice with a growth mindset, even if this meant the failure of not reaching the pinnacle.
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Experience Gratitude
Experiencing gratitude is extremely important.
In the book, The Molecule of More, the authors explain the difference between molecules of ambition (Dopamine) and those of the "here and now" (Serotonin, Oxytocin, Endorphin). Dopamine can be used within the creative mind to imaging the future- in my case a victorious celebration at the top!
Without that ambition and expectancy, I would not have the motivation to continue along with the many obstacles. However, once I reach the top I quickly created another goal (Dopamine is always seeking MORE).
This did not allow me to experience the "here and now chemicals". These chemicals are excreted when feeling gratitude and appreciation.
I quickly learned the lesson, after climbing down, that I should have savored the reward longer. Instead, I was overwhelmed with the notion of returning to my father. This new goal overrode the feeling of bliss I should have felt, lesson learned: appreciate more.
Select Your Fear Response
The third lesson I learned is to override fear. In the book Becoming Bulletproof, the author- Evy Poumpouras- speaks about the flight, flight, freeze options that the human faces whenever in fear.
I became aware of my fears and decided to persist. Under the definition of the three reactions I could have, I chose to fight. I fought the urge to turn back and did not succeed with my mission. I believe that this was a good selection because it ended in success.
I completed the goal of reaching the top and overcome the obstacles. Being aware of the three unique courses of action that you can take when faced with fear is a useful tool to gauge which route is the most ideal to produce the outcome you desire.
Conclusion
The serenity of the mountains, pristine waterways, and friendliness of hiking companions provided clarity in the type of mindset I want to adopt moving forward. Reaching the goal of scaling Half Dome gave me insight and affirmation that positive choices are met with reward. Now, I must remember to live in the here and now to savor accomplishments instead of quickly regressing to camp.