Problems

As the mother of two teenage boys involved in competitive rock climbing, I’ve learned a lot about the sport and gained a new appreciation for the rock-climbing community. It’s very interesting to watch and comes with its own unique dress code, culture and lingo.

One of the words I often hear my boys use in a notable way, is “problem.” Rock climbers use this word to describe a particular route, or piece of a route, that is new or difficult to achieve.

When my boys first started climbing, I heard this term regularly after I picked them up from practice, and over the years I have found great value in reassigning this definition to the word problem in everyday life. The word “problem” is used because the route or specific holds are difficult to accomplish, but not impossible. Each climber is aware of other climbers that can maneuver through that route, so they know it's possible, it's just a matter of figuring it out for themselves. This process is not easy: problems lead to many falls, and sometimes climbers might feel like giving up. But they don’t.

This has given me a new perspective on "problems" I encounter in life. It takes time, persistence and patience to overcome a climbing problem. Overcoming the problem means the climber is now better than before and that they can move forward in their progress by trying new, more challenging routes. The routes are rated, so they can easily see that they have progressed in their climbing abilities. But they are also learning, at least most of the time, that life is full of problems—not unsolvable problems, but challenges that are going to take dedication, work, persistence and patience to overcome. Unfortunately, the everyday problems we encounter in life don’t have a rating system, so it’s often hard to see progress. But through close observation and hindsight, over time we can see the progress we’ve made and how far we’ve come.

It's fascinating to watch finals at climbing competitions. The final rounds are usually the top 5 climbers in each class. They have four minutes to attempt each route and they are not allowed to see the routes until the timer starts. If they fall and still have time they can get back up and try again, but when the timer runs out, that's it. When I first watched these competitions, I was surprised to see the climbers pause, sometimes for 20 or 30 seconds and simply look at the wall. Their hands twisted and turned in the air. At first, I felt like they were wasting time – why not just figure it out when you get on the wall? But I soon realized that they were studying out the problem in their minds: making some preliminary decisions about how to grip, where to place their hands and feet, what parts of the wall are usable and what aren’t. Then they begin their climb.

Sometimes they climb without issue to the top, but typically they fall at least once. Never giving up, they reevaluate what they've just done, look closely at where they fell, decide what to do differently, and then get back on the wall and try again. In the finals competition they may not achieve that particular route. However, when climbing in their own gyms they can practice and practice until they master one route and then they move on to the next hardest problem. What's amazing is that they never tire of solving new problems.

Those in the rock-climbing community exhibit a willingness to help each other. Regardless of whether you are a beginner or their closest competition, rock climbers go out of their way to counsel with each other, giving advice, talking over their attempts and working together to attempt to complete the route or get past the problem they are currently working on.

In life, we face many problems, and when we conquer those problems, we'd like life to then be simpler and easier. How often do we intentionally go out seeking a new problem to challenge us?

But growth happens when we are challenged. Floating along easily through life never promotes growth or pushes us very far along our paths. We have to have resistance in order to grow. One thing we can be sure of is that challenges will always come. We can either see them as hardships and try to avoid them, or we can look at them like a rock climber and embrace the problems ahead, step back to evaluate, and then work through them. Sometimes others who have already completed, or are currently going through that challenge in life, can offer a helping hand. If we fail the first time, we just need to reevaluate and get back on the wall, trying and trying until we conquer and then helping those around us to conquer as well. Because no problem is impossible to solve.

Stephanie Richey is a mom of 4 awesome kids and wife to a wonderful husband. She is an artist and small business owner. When not taking care of her family she enjoys spending time outdoors, painting, cooking and music. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.