Different Strokes for Different Folks - A Climbing Analogy

That WOULD be a problem...

From: todoinstitute

I'm not that spectacular at bouldering... I've been climbing for a good amount of my life but my Superman of a boyfriend is the one who got me into bouldering more. He explained that it would help me cross-train and make me a better lead climber. I dutifully complied.

I quickly learned that my skier self wasn't as upper-body strong as required to be a proficient boulderer. I would attempt a problem (a boulder route), fall off and stand back, bewildered, while I watched someone else complete it. I did this time and time again, trying to pick up ideas and tips from other climbers.

The other day was no different. I stood with crossed arms watching Stephen and Rich climb a problem I had just attempted. One of the girls I boulder with, Breanne, was standing beside me, chatting about her technique on the same route. As we watched the guys on the wall it became apparent that there were two very different techniques being applied- Stephen was able to bypass certain holds because of his longer reach while Rich would turn his feet a different direction on a hold to reach the next point. After each successfully completed the same route, Breanne remarked, "Even though each person has their own style of climbing they still solve the same problem."

I'm not much for analogies- but this one was pretty darn good. Here I was, standing around doing something I love and along comes a life lesson. I contemplated the following questions for a bit before jumping back on the wall:

How many times have you tackled a problem from the same angle and then someone comes along  presenting an entirely new solution to the problem? Did you continue doing it the same way or did you take the opportunity to learn from it ?