Friday Link Pack

Last night I watched Alex Honnold’s Free Solo. Wow. So many pearls from this movie. What stood out for me is that we all, probably on some level, have a wall we’d like to climb. I took note of Honnold’s methods that helped him accomplish one of the greatest athletic achievements in our time. Here’s what I gathered:

1. Surround Yourself with the Right People. A team comprised of trusted experts can offer specific and constructive feedback and provide emotional support.
2. Practice. Practice. Practice. Prior to free soloing a route, Honnold repeatedly climbs it with ropes and a companion. He plans every move and takes meticulous notes describing everything from the feel of the granite to where he’ll place his fingers and toes.
3. Mental Rehearsal. He visualizes the experience of climbing the wall and how he needs to move through each pitch.
4. Attitude Towards Risk. Honnold invests his energy in what is required of him to achieve success as opposed to focusing on failure.
5. Find a Confidence Builder. For Honnold, it was testing himself on other walls that were challenging and achievable.
6. Work Through Your Fear. Honnold’s approach to fear is to use practice as a comfort and confidence builder.
7. Sink Into the Experience. On game day, his attitude is to release the anxiety and fear and immerse himself in goal attainment.

Interesting to note, Honnold’s brain, specifically his amygdala, functions differently and as a result he doesn’t experience fear as most of us do.

Now, here’s what I found on my route:

Preparing for exams? Try spaced learning as a method to increase retention.
Tarana Burke’s A Movement that Empowers
A new website illuminating the Heiltsuk Nation. Húy̓at: Our Voices, Our Land
Chicago hit 50 below and Candace Payne responded.
New voices at patients’ bedsides.
Wonder how a songbird learns?
UBC’s Celebrate Storytelling in Medicine event.
Age discrimination in the workforce.
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) conference.
If you’re working on medically and scientifically validated technologies supporting mental health, emotional wellbeing, and human thriving, check this out.
Design abilities of problem solvers.
Tuition-free Stanford course: Partnering with the Public and Patients in Medical Research
Swearing reduces physical pain (I’m not condoning it).
How to change your mind.

We may see some sunshine on Sunday! Enjoy the mountains!

Onward and upward,

Jacqueline