When I was in my 20’s, a woman in her 50’s said to me, “The best part about menopause is that you stop giving a crap what other people think of you. I finally feel free to do what I want and be who I am.”

I was so envious…

While I’m not menopausal, I have indeed started to care less about what others want from me and what I “should” be doing, according to society’s rules. I will say it’s been incredibly freeing and peaceful, and I wish I could have come to this place a lot sooner.

Even just in the last couple months I’ve really started to empty my plate, bit by bit. I’ve removed or decreased some activities, responsibilities, and shoulds from my life in order to feel genuine emptiness and freedom, maybe for the first time.

It’s like I’ve been piling my plate up with food for so long that I wasn’t even hungry anymore, and I certainly didn’t know what I actually wanted to eat.

Now I imagine a plain white plate sitting in front of me and asking myself, ‘How do I want to fill this thing up?’ And then my newfound hunger answers the question loud and clear.

This leads me to you. I have some questions.

Questions to Ask Yourself if You’re Burnt Out

• What 3 things are you doing only because you think you should do them?
• What 3 things are you tolerating on a regular basis?
• Who in your life are you tolerating?
• What 5 things do you value most in your life?
• And what of the things that you’re tolerating are getting in the way of you spending time on the things you value most?

Now how does this relate to climbing? In so many ways!

People are burnt the F out. Everyone has a full plate–an overflowing plate–and they are exhausted. They wonder why they lack motivation, clear goals, or energy for climbing indoors, much less outdoors…

When you’re putting too much on your plate and stuffing it down as if every meal is Thanksgiving Dinner, of course you’re not going to be hungry and your mind is going to be foggy. Of course you’re going to feel scattered, unmotivated, confused about how to reach your goals, and like you’d rather go sit on the couch instead of even trying.

The Big Question

Here’s the hardest question of all…

What can YOU take off of your plate?

I know you might reflexively want to say that there’s nothing you can do about the number of responsibilities, relationships, or personal aspirations you have right now. But the fact that you believe that is exactly why you feel overwhelmed.

So I’ll ask again, what can you take off of your plate right now, today, in order to feel hungry again? Think about it and comment below. I’d love to hear what you figure out.

Simplifying your life so you can spend time on the things you value most can only do good things for your climbing, your relationships, your work performance, and your overall mental health.

Let’s Work on This Together

This stuff is really important to me. I know how all-consuming it can be and I want to help people out of feeling burnt out in climbing and life in general.

I’m taking new coaching clients right now to help you do just that. I’ll ask you questions like the ones above, and of course we’ll go deeper and into more detail about all of it in our sessions. I’ll give you homework to do between our sessions so you can put everything we discuss into action.

If you want to work with me, I’m looking for dedicated clients who want to really dive into all of this stuff and who are open to being vulnerable and real.