I’m going bouldering later today for the first time in months.
For the past however long it may have been, I couldn’t go because of an injury that had to recover.
But now, with lot’s of physical therapy behind my back, a lot of specific exercises, and a whole lot of patience, well now I’m finally going to get back at it on the wall for the first time.
Yet it’s still going to be a different session than I’d normally have.
See, I’ve been told to build it up from the bottom again. To go slow and see how it goes. My shoulder injury hasn’t yet healed completely so I can’t just go all out again, that could easily mess up my shoulder once again and send me back another few months.
There’s just one big problem.
Doing the easy stuff and taking it slow, as if I was a beginner (the advice my physical therapist gave me) is boring as hell.
So, logically I had to come up with a new game plan.
Instead of doing the usual bouldering stuff I’d do—only a lot easier—I’ll turn this first session into a technique session where I’ll spend the entirety of my time improving my movement and practicing the fundamentals.
I won’t just be going through the movements on easier climbs.
I’ll purposely turn the “easy” climbs (aka, not difficult on my shoulder) into real challenges of technical skill. The purpose won’t be to finish the climb. The purpose will be to finish the climb as flawlessly and as efficiently as possible.
This is called “forward intent”.
Aka, making something more difficult than it needs to be with the sole purpose of improving your craft.
Forward intent, as well as going back to the basics and practicing your fundamentals, is something you can (and should) do in business as well.
Add constraints to the things you do, really focus on practicing you otherwise wouldn’t, and don’t skip the “boring” parts.
And if you’d like to know a nice way to start improving your craft, especially your email writing ability, then check out my flagship course Email Valhalla, where I hone in on the fundamentals to get your email writing capabilities to the next level.
Check it out here: https://alexvandromme.com/valhalla