About a year ago, a friend of mine taught me how to bouldering. It immediately became my favorite sport, and “physical puzzle.” There is something so satisfying about standing at the base of a wall, mapping out a route, and trying to figure out how my body needs to move to reach the end. It’s a constant balance of knowing my limits and knowing when to shatter them.

For the past year, I often climbed alone. But recently, I decided to make a change and joined a local bouldering meet-up.

Last weekend, I hit a wall literally. I was stuck on a Level 2 bouldering route, staring at a gap that felt physically impossible to cross. Having sent Level 3 and 4 routes in the past, I knew I had the strength; what I was missing was the right technique.

Instead of struggling in silence or walking away, I did something I once found difficult: 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽. I approached an experienced boulderer, explained my challenge, and asked for his perspective.

“Move sideways,” he suggested, “and trust your legs.”

As I got back on the wall and reached that same gap, the group started cheering. That energy was infectious. With their support and a new technique, I walked through the gap and finished the route in minutes.

This experience reminded me that 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘣 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦.