img00102.jpg It took me 53 years and nine months, but I finally did it.

On January 1st I wrote about a climbing rope I bought from John Wood and set up on a 15 foot tower outside by my gym. (See http://blog.mrfire.com/uncategorized/on-continuing-a-rocky-story/ for that original post.)

My goal was to climb it, of course.

I couldn’t do it growing up and my gym instructor humiliated me for my failure.

I didn’t try as an adult.

But it was unfinished business in my life. I wanted to succeed at this personal challenge and goal.

So virtually every day I tried to go up that rope.

There were several setbacks along the way, including an emergency appendectomy.

But I kept trying.

My trainer Scott York was patient and encouraging.

He’d climb the rope as if he were a monkey and then do chin-ups on the tower at the top.

I wanted to do that, too.

So I kept trying.

Every day.

And yesterday I climbed the rope!

Fifteen feet straight up.

No one was there to photograph the moment but now that I’ve succeeded, I know I can do it again, and even more easily than the first time.

I’m sharing it here to inspire you to set goals that are meaningful to you and work at them every day.

Persistence is a secret to success.

And it’s something you can practice every day.

If I can climb a 15 foot rope after 53 years and nine months of failing at it, what can you do?

Ao Akua,

Joe
www.mrfire.com

PS —  What’s “the rope” in your own life?

16 Comments

  1. September 22, 2007 at 2:06 pm

    LOVE IT.
    So good to know even you have ropes to climb…
    Bless you.
    Elinor

  2. Mark Ryan-Reply
    September 22, 2007 at 2:42 pm

    How many more old ropes will you show you can climb now my friend!

    Go get’em

    🙂

  3. Annette-Reply
    September 23, 2007 at 5:19 am

    Congratulations Joe! Your inspiration hit home this morning. I love the rope challenge as a metaphor and will use it on my current attempt.

    Thank you!:grin:

  4. September 23, 2007 at 6:13 am

    Nice job Joe! I have a rope myself and I absolutely love it. It’s a great workout tool.

    Keep going. After awhile you’ll be getting to the top, then doing hanging leg raises!

    Jeremy
    http://www.fitness-made-fun.com

  5. September 23, 2007 at 11:07 am

    This brought an inspirational tear to my eye. Congratulations Joe, this is an accomplishment on so many internal, external, emotional spiritual, physical and mental levels. Very cool! You!

  6. September 23, 2007 at 1:13 pm

    Congratulations Joe! Awesome.

    Once difficult, now easy… (well maybe not easy, but possible.)

    This is a very inspirational post… and I can think of at least three “take-aways” from it:
    1) Decide on the goal
    2) move it to the center of your attention (If you walk by it every day, all the better)
    3) work toward the goal virtually every day
    4) Surround yourself with positive people (the Mastermind Principle)
    5) It’s never “too late” to start on your dreams / or to reach them

    Here’s the link to our friend John Wood’s site for climbing ropes:

    http://www.functionalhandstrength.com/outdoor_climbing_ropes.html

    Keep up the great work!
    David

  7. September 23, 2007 at 2:03 pm

    You are an inspiration to all the world, Joe. Thank you for telling us in your usual entertaining way! I will think about the ropes left for me to climb.

  8. September 24, 2007 at 1:27 am

    This inspires me to practicing memorizing a deck of cards. A few years ago I could memorize an entire deck of poker cards in about 5 minutes. I’m rusty now. Can do about 15 cards now.

    Requires Desire and Daily Practice to reach these small goals. Time to work on the 5 min a day Practice.

  9. September 24, 2007 at 11:12 pm

    Way to go, Joe!
    Steve Siebold, CSP
    http://www.mentaltoughnessblog.com

  10. Rebecca-Reply
    September 25, 2007 at 7:20 pm

    Thank you Joe for ALL your inspirational messages. It keeps my spirits up and raises the level of happiness.

  11. Nancy Hall-Reply
    September 30, 2007 at 8:54 pm

    Congratulations Joe! When we hit a place where the old tapes kick in (“I can’t climb that rope”) – how good does it feel to erase them as you are doing the thing you thought you couldn’t do. A brick wall becomes air. Keep hitting it, til you hit it.

  12. September 30, 2007 at 10:28 pm

    Oh Joe,
    It does inspire! What we have forgotten comes back to the fore for completion. Thank you for reminding me that even though I’ve put off some very important things (ahem..like the book I promised to write about you) it really is not too late as long as I keep trying until I succeed.
    Be Blessed,
    Robin , formerly Robasky, now Sardini

  13. George Wu-Reply
    October 9, 2007 at 5:37 am

    Hi, Joe there are many things in this universe that happening and we are not aware or just push it away and I can tell you that feng shui works and very profound indeed and can be profen in sciences.

  14. October 11, 2007 at 4:09 pm

    Dearest Joe,

    I am half way up my LONG journey up my rope….I want you to know that you, stand out among the GREATEST of men, you are truly blessed and a great inspiration to all.

    Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with others, thank you for remaining so centered, and……. OH MAN! Is it not the coolest thing in the world to devellop the physical skill to match the mind ???? Wow… By the way… You look AWESOME… I saw a picture of you the other day and thought WOW!

    Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Mucho Love, Aymee (Bringing Joe Vitale to Miami/Naples, one Cuban at a time!!!!)

  15. October 12, 2007 at 11:34 am

    Aymee, I was in Miami last night. Am at Del Ray Beach airport area right now. headed back to Texas in an hour as I type this. So close yet so far.
    joe

  16. October 12, 2007 at 9:57 pm

    Joe,

    No way! I would have told you about this great little cigar place on Lincoln Road
    (Miami Beach). Not only is the music and atmosphere AMAZING…Very sexy place to take Nerrisa if you guys like Cuban music and like a little dancing…Awesome live band…

    Place feels like the old “Habana” my father speaks of so fondly…. They have the most incredible dirty MOJITOS….!! Missed you guys THIS TIME, however ….I will tell you where it is in November my friend!!!!

    LOVE and Light! and many HUGS!!!

    Aymee

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