Risk

Am I going to write another article about Alex Honold? Yeah, yeah I am. This time I was binge watching some of his interviews on Youtube as I think I should take a break from watching Free Solo for the 16th time. This time he was talking about risk and consequence, which got me thinking about what I'm doing in my own personal life.So, first obviously we have to define the terms. Risk (from our friend Webster) is  someone or something that creates or suggests a hazard while consequence is defined as  a result or effect of an action or condition. So, the way I interpret that is a consequence is an outcome that comes from action. Risk is the likelihood that the consequence of your actions will produce a more detrimental outcome. Alex (why does he keep acting like they are friends?) talks about the relationship between the two in the interview.He is discussing how most people look at one part of his climbing career as very "risky". It is free soloing, climbing with no ropes or harness, just a chalk bag and shoes. He then begins talking about goals and broadening yourself through uncomfortablility. Basically becoming comfortable with where your uncomfortability lies, and pushing that limit until you are no longer afraid. He then talks more in depth about the risks and consequences of free soloing. Alex says the following, "I like to differentiate risk and consequence, i mean the consequences are definitely death. if you fall off the wall you're definitely going to die, but the risk is sort of the likelihood of actually falling off." Which after this he discusses how through training he mitigates that risk to almost zero, even though the consequences are still high. So, why does this matter?In other interviews Alex also talks about risk. One of the questions he constantly gets is are you not afraid to die? Don't you know that what you're doing is extremely risky? I love his answers when he gets interviewed as he often refers to the previous paragraph. People look at what he does as risky, but I think risk is a SDTR (see my previous article). The brief definition is that it is a term that is defined by yourself based on your relative life experience. Alex has put in 20 years of training to do the things that he does. He climbed the route as well as researched the entirety of the wall for almost two years before culminating in the first free solo of El Cap. You only saw the manifest in an hour and a half film. Alex, has mitigated his risk even though the consequences are high. He also talks about how he believes that most people are living a riskier life than he is. Most people sit at a desk, eating a consistently poor diet, while also having a lack of exercise or taking proper care of their body.  While the immediate consequence is low, the long term consequence is high. We have to look at this relationship when we compare what he is doing to our own lives.How I apply this to myself is similar to Alex. I often no longer find myself in high physical stress situations (unlike Alex), but see traveling as a way to push myself more in the creative world. A lot of people back home see what I am doing as risky or crazy, but not only is it not (every country I have been to is often safer than back home), but it is what has become my norm. Just as Alex has spent so much time into the walls of Yosemite I have been traveling both in the U.S. and internationally off and on for multiple years. My comfort level with going to new places, having to meet new people, try new foods, make new friends, live minimally, is something that I have grown to become comfortable with. My risk in my mind is almost zero with almost all of the consequences only being positive.Which is what I want to challenge you do to do in your own life. What are your goals? How uncomfortable do they make you feel? What is the risk vs. the consequence? Consequences can be negative or positive. When we look at the negative we must associate the risk or likelihood that it will happen and begin to take steps towards mitigation. As Alex said, "Nothing great was ever achieved from being happy and comfortable." So, chase big goals. Do things you thought you couldn't, but take the time and put in the effort to grow towards them. Carry a bigger load, force yourself into uncomfortable situations. Seek growth and fulfillment. We all need more, we all can strive for more.  We can all work a little bit each day to achieve our goals, but we can't be afraid to take the first step.On purpose,Matt“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” - Jim Rohn