Nature Talent And The Turtle Theory
I met a climber last Tuesday. After seeing him flying through a real tricky 5.10 route, I pretty much assumed he is one of those pro climbers who have been up on the wall for a while. ‘So, how long have you been climbing?” I was expecting to hear something like a year or two. “Since this March. “ He replied. Whoa! Another naturally talented monkey!
March is the month I started climbing seriously. As I recall, I have to spend a lot of time in a grade before I can advance to another. I was only able to climb 5.9 routes about a few weeks ago after many weeks of hard training on the 5.8 routes. But I have met so many people who can jump on the 9 routes without much effort. I start to think that my climbing talent is probably next to nothing.
I believe all of us have nature talents in a few things we do and suck in other areas. Using myself as an example, I suck in everything that requires body balancing. But I am good at eating food without getting fat. Although it bugs me a bit knowing that I am a turtle on the wall, I try to tell myself it is OK to take time. It’s probably going to take me 3 times longer to get to the 11 routes, but eventually I will get there. Maybe I can even climb those “you are out of your f*&^ing mind” routes one day. HA!
Here is the turtle theory - Even the smallest step will get you to the destination. No nature talent? No worries, just keep doing what you are doing. Eventually, the turtle theory will get you there. 
