An apt time for goal review?

Goals, and what they mean.

Every year I seem to watch (or go to) Reading Festival and stand in awe, wishing I had stuck with music school and had a chance of ever gracing the stage. I then realise that was a ridiculous thing to think, and feel slight envy towards those who have managed to get there while I am stuck here (wherever that is). Goals are a necessary evil in this world, forever dragging you in one (or many) direction(s), until you (might possibly) get there, at which point you realise the goal wasn't far enough and you need to aim higher. The flip side being you never make the goal, get lost or otherwise move in another direction. Is that true failure, or reaching towards your full potential in another medium?

Lets go back to the start, and take a personal comparison between my working and climbing careers.

In the early days

Where it started.

6 years (or so) ago, I begun a long and arduous journey into a career in the events industry.
I started with no direction, not a clue of where to go or where I wanted to end up.
I did however work (bar) at a venue which was down a sound engineer, and with the support of a few local professionals, started mixing bands.

At my first venue

One of my first grit climbs

One of my first A grades

I was fresh out of college (asked to leave) without a clue of what I wanted to do with my life (like most 18/19 year olds), and it all seemed pretty bleak.

Present day; I am 3 or so venues better off and about to enter the final year of my degree, BSc Sound, Light & Live Event Technology at Derby University. I have been working over the summer at my first hire company (excluding freelance at On! in Notts), which has mostly been staging and roof system work. This isn't really my goal, but is a step somewhere towards the general direction I want to go to.

At some point I decided my goal was to become a sound engineer, which is a bit of a rubbish goal as it isn't very specific. I could have called it quits after about 6 months and said 'goal accomplished'. I have since made my goals more specific.

I then decided I want to work at a larger venue, and accomplished that, although not as a sound engineer directly. Having mixed a few larger events, I still do not class this as an accomplished goal. It was however superseded, when I decided I want to work as a system tech (ideally) or a mixing engineer for a larger production company (Skan, SSE, Adlib etc etc). If I accomplished this goal, I would want to go on a few tours and that would be good stuff. This goal is certainly still unaccomplished, but not totally impossible.

To get to the larger production company, I decided (with the persuasion of my 'then' mentor) to go a study a scientific degree in this field. From where I started (having missed out an intensely large proportion of the story) I am a very very long way into the journey, but infinitesimally small when compared to the goal and path I lay out before myself. It is important to remember that all things are generally made out of much smaller steps, like a cpu and logic gates. However, I still find myself wondering why I am not there yet.

If it serves for nothing else, starting the degree changed how I make, view and evaluate goals as well as view progression. I always need to remind myself that there are many steps on any road.

Hard at work. This was the most complex system I have worked on. A 16 channel surround sound system at Derby Theatre.

Climbing

With the start of my degree I started climbing. In the beginning my goal was to get to the top of the easy problems at the local climbing wall. When I could eventually do that (by this point I was hooked and climbing 4 days a week after uni), I decided I wanted climb everything and to learn to lead, and my then girlfriend taught me how to lead. I progressed through the local indoor problems fairly quickly.

 Next up I wanted to climb slightly better than the best locals at the wall. Unfortunately time is a killer and they had between 3 and 13 years experience on me, so although at a similar level, I am still not totally there. Although here is where diversifying comes in. I am not great at any form of climbing, but am better at peak lime than grit. They are mostly grit climbers (bar the total wads). 

My first DWS 

As I progressed in climbing difficulty, my opinions, training methods and the people I climb with changed. Although in the peak I climb with people who are much much better than at the local walls, climbing harder than them is still a goal (but not the top priority, just an immature fantasy). I have gone from nothing, to Font 7B to 7A (drop due to injury and work commitments, plus I find I am not really trying hard enough recently). 

My current way of making goals

My goals now sit at two distinct levels, attainable in the short to medium term, and pie in the sky. 

Currently my climbing goals are:
(realistic)
Climb a peak limestone Font 7b+
Climb a peak grit 7b (boyager)
Climb a parisellas cave Font 7b+
Climb a peak sport 7c+ (Taylor Made)
(pie in the sky)
Climb Belly of the beast into Evolution/Mutation
Climb Violent New Breed
Climb Voyager
Climb Brandenburg Gate
Climb The Pink Star
Climb Hubble

Not trying hard enough

Current career goals are:
(realistic)
Get a 1st for my degree
Get a job at one of the big audio companies (as listed above)
Finish my FPGA driven Audio over IP + PDM oversampling amplifier system
Do some work in venue design
Earn enough money to live comfortably and holiday, while still maintaining time to climb well.

(pie in the sky)
Get a job on 4 arena (or bigger) world tours (mixing or system tech)
Mix or system tech Reading festival headliner
Mix or system tech Glastonbury festival headliner
Design production package for 1 large dance festival
Design tour production package for 3 world tours
Design and build a bespoke large format stage/production package for one of the larger uk festivals
Design an arena sized venue (acoustics and technical equipment)

My goal at the end of the day, is to make enough money from what I am doing, to continue doing those things I love in good balance, with a solid future plan.

How Goals Shape You

This was once a goal, and is now an easy warm-up

I figured that you need to make goals that you could attain. These goals are specifically chosen to give you that minor boost of confidence every time they are completed, and to keep you developing in the given task elements.

By the same token, if you do not make goals that are way beyond your maximum potential, then surely you will never reach your maximum potential. As you reach the next goal closest to your limit, the next goal you make will have a lightly smaller push in difficulty than the last, and you will enter an infinite loop in infinitesimally smaller developments until you stagnate. If you do everything in your power and dedicate 100% of what you have into hitting a major unattainable goal, and you manage all the smaller goals on the way successfully, you are far more likely to hit your maximum potential. 

The trade off being that you may change direction, feel dissatisfied in the end and decide you wasted all your time. By then, if you look back at what you have accomplished, the sum of what has been accomplished will hopefully be more worth while than the end goal ever would have been. Its the bout the journey' philosophy with a specialisation twist.

Bigger stages, still small events

How To Evaluate Goals

If you do not regularly evaluate the goals, your progress and upon completion, you won't know where you are going, or where you have come from, or where you are at. 

If you complete a goal, then you may be onto a winner, but if you never evaluate, how will you know?
What worked? What didn't? You need to know. to continue.

If you do not complete, or choose to change a goal, is this because you are giving yourself the easy way out? Or is it because the goal isn't helping you progress?

I try to evaluate goals positively, a failure is feedback on how to move forwards, maybe in a slightly different direction. 

Things progress technically

Having had minor success, maybe this doesn't work or isn't the most efficient method of goal making and success pursuit. Maybe it wont work, but it is all I have on the topic.

This is all a work in progress.

Know where you have come from, and look where you are going.

Goals for me are way-points and direction and feel great at some times and punishing at others.

I will leave my future self with this little tit-bit of cold hard realism. People may help you, but no one will do it for you. I you want it that much, endure the hard work and pain it takes. 

Font (late post)

Font was infact awesome.

I need to spend a couple  months there though, getting used to the style.
It wouldn't hurt to be good at climbing either.

Here is to the future dream.

Like Zippy said; If you don't like font, you don't like climbing.

Retrobolting Peak Limestone

This post comes courtesy of UKBouldering forums, as I was inspired by the thread of the same title as this post.

Santiago 7a(+ imo)

As an example (and probably a bad one) of the retrobolteverythingconvenienceclimbing generation of which everyone seems to fear, I do not think I would want many or any of the people in my kind of position to be anywhere near a cordless drill and a screwfix direct. Before I continue on this rant, I am by no means an authority and I make no mistake in assuming my opinion is worthwhile or entitled. I am surprised if you continue reading. I would like to think there are some good ideas and questions however.

For the lazier of us who sport climb and expect everything to be given to us (cleaned and bolted), count yourselves fortunate you trad climbers. You would have seen many poorly retro'd routes, due to peoples inexperience and lack of common sense. People like Gary Gibson are a small blessing in disguise, if you consider some of the alternative possibilities, like a bolt in the crux hold of your next Sunday jaunt.

Considering that if you do not want to spend time excavating dilapidated quarry walls, low grade peak lime sport climbing isn't particularly common in one focussed area. I can maybe think of two or three natural crags with enough low 6s to make a day out worthwhile (in the peak). Maybe I am a victim of not knowing where the routes are also...
That said, I do not know that many climbers in the convenience generation who bother leaving safety for fiddling with bits of wire in precarious positions. In fact, there aren't that many people I know who will trad climb, and climb on any form of peak limestone. Many newer climbers I seem to meet, stick inside or maybe go bouldering once in a blue moon. Do not fret just yet, there are plenty of us out there who might.

In reference to bolting much neglected trad routes, and the climbers who would rather they are left alone;
First of all, unless you own the crag (assuming crag owner trumps first ascensionist, and don't take this in offence, but for a point of philosophical discussion), why does your opinion hold sway? By the same token, what right does a potential bolter have? How does this effect if I get a say in if something should be bolted? What gives anyone else the right to give someone else the right, or deny that? Circumstance sucks.

As a member of the BMC, and having visited a few peak area meets, I still haven't had the opportunity to vote on retro-bolting that obscure route you may have heard of once or never... If I am keen to go and bolt something that has not been touched for 20 years with rotting in-situ slings, how do I even get to propose it? Surely as a member of a cohesive and inclusive community of climbers (all kinds), I should be able to easily access the means to put this to a debate and fair vote... I will not spark a debate on teaching people to bolt. That should be left for the professionals to teach their prodigies.

But it doesn't work that way, does it? Particularly if Robert the brother of the first ascentionists mother who failed on the route once 21 years ago, has qualms with this route being bolted because he couldn't do it then and still cannot now... Then again Florence, who would really enjoy this route if it were bolted, knows nothing of the route or the forum within which to get involved in such a debate as to it and her future. Also, why did Phil have the right to go and ascend this piece of rock in the first place? Surely It was my birth right and he got there 30 years before I had a chance... It can all get silly quite quickly.

See the problem... If someone who tries (key word) to get involved with the BMC local crew doesn't know...
That, and the fact that a few of the people I know who do retro-bolt, are not at all bothered about the peak area meetings... Why would they be? People who spend more time moaning then adventuring would eat them for breakfast, all for putting a bolt in something they would probably never touch anyway, because it is dirty and chossy.

I would also like to mention at this point, that any provision for the rights of retrobolting some things, should also be given to removing bolts from this by the same arm. For example, if someone poorly bolted a peak lime trad classic, there should be a discussion and vote on the removal of said bolts. Surely?

And then, who would bolt and de-bolt the crags?

I digress...

In the instance of in-situ or fixed gear that has degraded beyond use, is it not worth replacing these parts in order to restore safety and access. Just because you like to risk your own life on dodgy in-situ gear, why should I have to risk mine to enjoy the same moves up the wall?

As for retroing starred classics and fully trad crags;
Obviously you would want to follow a community consensus, as many individuals may not 'get' why you would or would not want to bolt something sensitive. Surely more widespread and inclusive methods of voting should be put together, in order to make voting legitimate. Balot boxes perhaps? Well, it worked for the miners anyway...

It would be a well thought out plan, to ensure a rock solid, easily accessible and fair system is in place for these things, before my generation comes along a ruins everything, or doesn't get involved at all. How many students turned up to your last area meeting?

Either way...

Maybe the process of vetting and controlling peoples actions is not constructive, conclusive and inclusive enough to even will the bolters to get involved in the first place. If you do not get that where it needs to be, how can you expect the system to work? You can only complain if you are willing to try and fix the problem correctly.

Imo, arguing with self-professed 'trad climbers' is much like arguing with the hold you struggle to grip onto. I just hope this argument can actually be resolved sensibly, before the useless future comes along and really makes a mess.

I would like to learn how to bolt things, and more importantly, how to remove and replace bolts and follow the ethics.
At least then I can do my part to maintain the crags.

The problem is, I am all for retrobolting certain routes when it suits myself and the community.
Is This Right?

I fail at blogging

But that is no surprise.

All this work I have been doing over the summer has been a really good experience and physically difficult (increase in base level strength success). But now it is time to return to more climbing at academia. I haven't really had time to do much more than work, a little climbing and a little research into my final year topic.

I have been (learning to, and) building things like this, as well as audio engineering

Climbing has taken a bit of a back seat. I took a couple trips to Cheedale, and started a couple projects including 'This is the Sea', at the cornice. Otherwise climbing once or twice a week at the local climbing centre, Big Rock in Milton Keynes. The project board there is worth a punt, if you live local.

Grunge from 'This Is The Sea'

In retrospect this is probably a good thing, as slow recovery might mean avoiding further injury.
I am still no where near as fit and strong as last summer, but there is no surprise.

Loud DJ Mons

Today I start my foray into the worlds of Python and Java. Armed with a pair of Raspberry Pis, some research and confidence, I am finally beginning my proof of concept for my Final Major Project.

I will be making multi-channel audio over IP modules for use with beam steering line arrays.
Proof of concept using Raspberry Pis, and hopefully the final product will use a pair of FPGAs with Ethernet and a server.

The dream is to make a super light weight amplifier/DSP/AOIP module that you bolt on the pack of whatever your favourite pro-audio loudspeaker. And using a particular piece of software, having ultimate control over where the sound goes for the purest even listener experience.

My backup project is hire-house database software, because rental desk is shit if you don't license for a fortune.

Watch This Space.