Many years ago, I was a member of the British competition climbing team.

Now, before you imagine podium finishes and medals around my neck, let me gently lower expectations.

I was not the strongest member of the team. In fact, I was fairly mediocre in a pool of people who were really, really good. I wasn’t bad – but I was never going to win a European or World title. I was never going to stand on the podium.

But I tried really hard.
And I absolutely loved it.

What I didn’t realise at the time was just how much those years would teach me – not about climbing, but about mindset.

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The Move You Think You Can’t Do

I was naturally quite anxious back then; lacking in confidence and aways quietly convinced that I wasn’t strong enough.

And here’s what I learned very quickly:
If I believed I wasn’t strong enough for a move… I wasn’t.

If I thought, “I can’t do this,” my body would follow that instruction.

That old quote (often attributed to Henry Ford) always rings true:
If you believe you can, you’re right. If you believe you can’t, you’re right.

Mindset wasn’t some fluffy add-on to our training – it was a huge part of it. Because climbing is as much mental as it is physical.

There would often be a single move in a route that felt just beyond me. One powerful reach. one awkward lock-off, or one dynamic lunge.

And if I tackled it thinking, “I’m not strong enough for this,” I would fall.

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Pretending – But Just for a Moment

So I started experimenting.

If I got to a move I wasn’t sure about, I would pretend – just for that moment – that I was strong enough.

Not forever.
Not as a personality overhaul.
Just for that move.

I’d borrow the strength – step into it, almost play with it.

It was surprisingly light-hearted, even playful.

I wasn’t trying to trick myself or deny reality. I was accessing something that was already there; tapping into reserves I didn’t always trust.

This is where the archetype of the warrior – something I use a lot in my work now – first made sense to me.

The warrior isn’t fearless.
The warrior acts anyway.

And more often than not, when I stepped into that energy – when I decided that for this one move I was strong enough – I did it.

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Not “Fake It Till You Make It”

I’ve never liked the phrase fake it till you make it.

It feels forced. Inauthentic. A bit brittle.

This felt different.

It was more like:
Be it until you see it.
Be it until you start to feel it.

Because the truth is, we all have hidden reserves.

There is strength in you that you haven’t yet needed to access.
There is confidence in you that hasn’t yet been called forward.
There is capability sitting quietly, waiting for permission.

Sometimes you don’t need to become someone new.

You just need to borrow from the version of you who already knows how.

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“Just For This Moment”

This conversation came up recently at one of my day retreats.

Someone was feeling overwhelmed. Unsure and convinced they couldn’t do the thing in front of them.

And I found myself saying:

You don’t have to believe you can do it forever.
Just believe you can do it for this moment.
Just do the next move.

That’s it.

Not the whole presentation.
Not the whole conversation.
Not the whole life change.

Just this step.

Just this move.

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A Gentle Reflection

Where in your life have you ever “pretended” to have a particular quality in order to get through something?

Maybe you’ve:

• Acted calm when you felt nervous.

• Spoken confidently when you felt unsure.

• Been brave for someone else.

• Shown up strong when you didn’t quite feel it.

Chances are, you weren’t faking it.

You were accessing something real.

Maybe it wasn’t fully embodied yet.
Maybe it didn’t feel permanent.
But it was there.

And perhaps it still is.

So the next time you’re standing at the base of your own metaphorical climbing wall, staring at the move you’re not sure you can do…

What if you just pretended – playfully, gently – that you could?

Just for this moment.

With calm and courage, go out there and do it.