3 Criteria that mean it’s time to sacrifice everything
for a dream, learned from The Dawn Wall’s Tommy Caldwell
*SPOILER WARNING*
While suffering the calamity of the divorce from his once-believed soul mate and trauma from believing he killed a man to save his life after being taken hostage in Kyrgyzstan, Tommy devoted himself to something larger than himself. 3,000ft. larger than himself to be exact. Tommy set out to climb The Dawn Wall, an insanely challenging route in Yosemite National Park, which, being the haven it is for the best climbers in the world, none of which have even tried to conquer it. When we narrow into Tommy’s journey, we can learn a lot about when it is time to give everything to a dream.
A major theme of the movie is finding meaning in life. As Tommy and Kevin reach a height where people start believing they might actually scale the behemoth, you see the public’s reaction to this partially-insane endeavor. Gayle King from CBS This Morning is quoted saying “I hope they make it, but I swear I don’t understand it” to point out the absurdity of living in a tent on the side of a mountain for 19 straight days to climb a massive rock. If you watched the film, you likely had a mixed response to Tommy and Kevin’s accomplishment like I did. Yes, it was absolutely astounding to watch Tommy and Kevin’s achievement, but…
What really was the point of dedicating 6 precious years of life to it?
In my opinion, the reason The Dawn Wall resonates with us so much is because we all know deep down that we are capable of incredible things. Watching Tommy gives us a spark of hope that our deepest, most wild desires are real, not just dreams in our minds. Maybe your dream isn’t as extreme as Tommy’s. I want to be a writer; Maybe you do as well. Or, maybe you want to break addiction, or be a better man to your family. There is something beyond what you have that you want to accomplish.
So the question begs: When is the time to sacrifice nearly everything and just go for it? When should you climb the wall? Is it time to check into rehab or should you wait a couple months? When you should sacrifice time with friends and family to devote yourself to publishing a quality Medium article every day, or should you continue on the path you are on?
These 3 criteria are worthy of giving your life to your work, like Tommy did when he climbed The Dawn Wall after 5 years of consistent effort, struggle, and learning.
#1: You are experiencing friction
Our intuition is worth more than we believe, and if you are experiencing friction in your daily life, you will know. I’m not talking about the stress that comes with a deadline at work, or a fight with a friend or partner. I’m talking about the consistent, lasting feeling that you aren’t where you should be and that you are capable of more. The dread that comes with knowing you are not where you want to be.
For many, this is career related. You go to college for four years to learn difficult skills to attain a steady 9–5 job, but when you get there, you are overwhelmed with friction. You never imagined you life would really exist as clocking in and out of an office, sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day, and collecting your 401k for the first big break you will get: retirement.
If you’re experiencing this lasting friction, it means that your soul is craving something different than what you are doing. You are capable of pursuing something that you truly love. The only thing holding you back is fear of not knowing how it will turn out.
#2: You see the outcome
When you can consistently see, even feel, the outcome of your goal or dream, it is time to put it into action. When you transition past a fantasy of thinking that it’s possible to really envision yourself doing it, you are past a major turning point. The time for action is now.
Tommy Caldwell could have dreamed about the Dawn Wall forever. He could have looked at that wall every day of his life, wishing he could climb it but never taking action. At a certain point, whether it was due to the loss of his first love and ex-wife, or the fact that he survived a near death experience, he decided that it was possible for him to accomplish this ridiculous climb. At a certain point, his dream turned into a vision, and that is when you need to attack.
This does not, however, need to be a fast process. If you are not there, you are not there. There is no deadline to be ready to pursue something grand. According to Men’s Journal, before Tommy even began his 6-year training for the dawn wall, he first saw the route five years ago in 2005.
Can you see yourself accomplishing your goal? If not, work towards developing self confidence and building your belief system before you even attempt it. You will have a stronger foundation for when it is time to begin.
“Working hard is important. But there is something that matters even more. Believing in yourself.” — J.K. Rowling
#3: You have an opportunity
Once you know you are experiencing friction and can visualize yourself succeeding, all that is left is an opportunity to pursue. Luckily, opportunity is around you everywhere, depending on what you are willing to sacrifice.
One would probably assume that Tommy was able to accomplish this monumental feat because he was young and had the freedom to climb freely while living in his van. ‘It’s easy to pursue opportunities while you’re young, don’t have rent/house payments, a job, and a family to take care of.’ Well, it may certainly be harder, but it is absolutely not impossible. Tommy was 37 when he completed the Dawn Wall climb and had a 2 year old son at home with his wife Rebecca, and didn’t even live with them at the time because he gave everything to this pursuit.
If you are willing to sacrifice, you are willing to give yourself an opportunity. Can you find 3 hours to write each day on top of your job? What if it meant going out with your friends less, or waking up at 5am each day for a year? Could you do it? If you want to be financially independent, can you read a book a day on investing? What are you willing to give to radically change your life?
Final Thoughts
If you want to accomplish a dream, you should not only how you are going to do it, but when you are going to do it. According to Tommy Caldwell, we derive meaning from accomplishing personal things we know deep within our soul that we have the power to accomplish. These things don’t have to be what most are doing, or even close to it. Tommy’s dream was to free-climb a 3,000ft. rock, and he did, through a six year journey, at age 37, with a kid and wife.
Learning from Tommy, there are 3 factors that can provide you with self-assurance that it is the right time to drop everything and sacrifice everything for your dream: experiencing friction, seeing yourself succeeding, and being willing to sacrifice.
By pursuing your dream at the right time, you may not summit a 3,000ft rock by living on a wall for 19 straight days, but you might accomplish something that means as much to you as The Dawn Wall did for Tommy. I hope that, like Tommy and Kevin, you have a bottle of champagne waiting for yourself at the top.
Sincerely,
Ross Heilweil
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