This document discusses how climbing has contributed to the author's personal and professional development. It explains that climbing improved the author's health through increased strength, flexibility, and stamina. Climbing also helped the author develop trust in their abilities. Professionally, climbing taught the author to view obstacles as opportunities, approach challenges with calmness and composure, and break down goals into smaller targets. Overall, climbing changed the author's mindset from an adaptive to a confrontational one.

1. CLIMBING:
How it Contributes to my Personal and
Professional Development
Submitted by Abhisheka Jhunjhunwala

2. Introduction
Why I started:
• I have always have been open to trying new things
• An unhealthy lifestyle motivated me to aim towards
overall fitness
What appealed to me:
• It requires strength, flexibility and coordination
• The sport does not solely depend on sheer brute
force
• The sport itself is very simple and does not require
elaborate equipment
• The second time was easier. I got hooked and have
been climbing ever since

3. How Climbing Has Helped Me
(Personally)
• Improved health:
 Strength: forearms, core muscles
 Flexibility: legs and back
 Stamina: increased endurance
• Trust in the ability of:
 My body
 Muscles
 Hands and feet
 Most importantly, MYSELF!

4. How Climbing Has Helped Me
(Personally)
• Learnt to use the force of gravity to my advantage rather than
struggling against it.
• It has a calming effect; I realized that agitation and a brute force
approach do not help, they only wear out the arms and legs. A
calculated and practical approach has to be employed
• Body fat percentage is down to 15% from 25% one year back.
• Cut down smoking and drinking:
 Realized that these habits are greatly hampering my physical
ability and stamina
 Consequently the decision to reduce these habits was not
difficult to make

5. How Climbing Has Helped Me
(Personally)
• Organize a schedule for daily life and prioritize activities by
breaking them down into small tasks.
• Plan smaller steps leading to my goals
 A difficult climb must be divided into smaller sections
 Work on each section individually, one at a time
• Balance
• Focus
• Trust in myself and my abilities

6. How Climbing Has Helped Me
(Professionally)
• Learn to use obstacles to my advantage; look at obstacles as
opportunities, rather than problems.
• Calm and composed approach to obstacles and challenges
 Worrying only wears out the mind
 Use that time and energy to work out solutions
 Sometimes one has to take a step backward
in order to move ahead
• Improvement in self awareness and consciousness.

7. How Climbing Has Helped Me
(Professionally)
• Plan targets around goals
 Break down my one big goal into smaller
targets
 Helps to stay motivated
 Helps to avoid getting discouraged
• Teamwork
 A climb requires two people: climber and
belayer
 The climber must trust his belayer
 The belayer must be alert and attentive to
his climber’s moves
 Similarly in any business, teamwork is
essential to move forward/upward.

8. How Climbing Has Helped Me
(Professionally)
• Check and double check equipment and processes
 Due to the risks involved, a thorough safety check is performed
before every climb
 Ensures that the climber and belayer are secure and all the
equipment is functional
 In business too, a similar approach is absolutely essential to
avoid setbacks and unwanted problems

9. Before and After
BEFORE
• Unhealthy
• Tired all the time
• Lethargic
• No stamina
• Worried all the time
• No zest for life
AFTER
• Increased energy
• Self confident
• Organised life
• Positive outlook
• New mindset:
adaptive vs.
confrontational

10. Bouldering in Ramanagaram,
Bangalore, India

11. A Summary
• I have been climbing for a year now, and I have come a long way
from struggling for 45 minutes on the easiest route.
• I now do multiple climbs and am working on more difficult routes.
• Climbing has changed my approach to life in several ways, namely:
 Overcoming the limiting beliefs of the capabilities of my body and
mind
 Taught me to focus on priorities
 Plan and prepare a roadmap for a specific goal, by breaking it
down into smaller targets.
 Adaptive vs. confrontational approach to life