Just climb through it | Ashima Shiraishi | TEDxTeen

Summary

In this engaging speech, a young rock climber reflects on overcoming obstacles, both physical and personal. She shares her journey from learning the basics of climbing in New York City to attempting a nearly impossible challenge in South Africa. Through her experiences, she highlights how falling and failing repeatedly is a significant part of eventual success. She draws a parallel between climbing and life’s challenges, emphasizing perseverance and determination. Whether it's rock climbing or daily tasks like homework, the speaker encourages everyone to push through their 'V14,' representing their toughest challenges.

Takeaways

• 💪 The speaker feels overwhelmed by problems, comparing the feeling to physical sensations like knots in the stomach and weight on the shoulders.
• 🧗‍♂️ Despite being small, the speaker surprises others by being a rock climber, having climbed for over seven years.
• 🗽 The speaker's climbing journey started in Central Park, where they learned that climbing is about solving 'problems' on rocks.
• 🧩 Climbing is like solving a puzzle, and the speaker had to master hand and foot placement due to their small size.
• 🌍 Climbing has allowed the speaker to travel the world, including places like New York, Spain, and South Africa.
• 🎯 The speaker set a goal to raise the level of female climbing by achieving a V14 difficulty, a level only one other woman had completed.
• 👊 Through persistence and trial, the speaker realized that climbing success is 99% falling and learning from failure.
• 📝 The speaker struggles with balancing school and climbing, comparing homework to their personal V14 challenge.
• 📱 Social media often shows the highlights of life, but the reality behind climbing is tough and involves a lot of falling.
• 🏆 The speaker emphasizes that enduring failure is crucial for success and that everyone faces their own challenges, or 'V14,' in life.

Q & A

What feelings does the speaker describe at the beginning of the speech?

The speaker describes feelings of being overwhelmed by problems, negativity, frustration, having knots in the stomach, and a weight on the shoulders, making them feel trapped or like they're facing a wall.

Why are people surprised when they find out the speaker is a rock climber?

People are surprised because the speaker is small, and they expect a rock climber to be a strong, muscular man with shaggy hair.

Where did the speaker first learn the basics of rock climbing?

The speaker learned the basics of rock climbing in Central Park, New York City, from a man named Yuki.

What is the grading system in climbing, and what do the numbers represent?

The grading system in climbing consists of a 'V' on the left and a number on the right. The lower the number, the easier the climb, with V0 being almost like a ladder and V16 being nearly impossible.

How does the speaker's size influence their climbing approach?

Because the speaker is smaller than other climbers, they had to master hand and foot placement, approaching climbing like solving a puzzle.

What significant goal did the speaker set during their trip to South Africa?

The speaker set the goal of raising the level of female climbing by attempting to climb a V14 problem called 'Golden Shadow,' a difficulty level that only one other woman had achieved.

How does the speaker describe the process of climbing the 'Golden Shadow' problem?

The speaker describes breaking the climb into sections to test themselves and repeatedly falling, climbing until their hands were bloody and their eyes full of tears, showing determination despite setbacks.

What realization does the speaker have after finally succeeding in climbing the problem?

The speaker realizes that 99% of climbing is about falling and what might be considered failure, but the 1% of success makes all the effort worth it.

How does the speaker compare their experience of climbing with their daily life challenges?

The speaker compares climbing to their daily struggle with homework, describing homework as their V14. They find it difficult due to a hectic schedule but recognize that enduring the challenges will pay off.

What message does the speaker convey about facing challenges and failure?

The speaker conveys that failure is a major part of success, and just like in climbing, it's important to persist through challenges because the effort leads to eventual success.