Where the real difficulty was

It was my first time trying indoor climbing. The hardest route I attempted was a 5.8. I did not fully finish it, just one move away from the top.

Before that, I had climbed a 5.6 without much difficulty, so the sudden jump in challenge at 5.7 surprised me. I did not expect the difference to feel so sharp. Still, I found myself reaching higher than I thought I could. I did not think I would make it to the second-to-last hold, but I did.

That moment came with a quiet sense of achievement. Yet when it was time to let go and jump down, I froze. The wall was no longer the problem. My body was capable, but my mind hesitated.

After standing there for a while, I finally jumped, shouting “trust the process” as I did.

Looking back, the hardest part of the climb was not physical. It was internal. The climb forced me to notice where fear actually lived, and how persistence often begins before the body moves.

It felt like a good start, not only in climbing, but in becoming more aware of how I approach challenges, and what it takes for me to move through them.