Stoke your fire

Welcome to Stoking the Fire with Gen and Nick.

Our mission is to inspire passion towards a better relationship with nature and self. If you experience positive vibes from outdoor recreation or simply appreciate a picturesque landscape then you have a fire and we can relate. Your fire may be burning off a single log or a variety of timber. It may be smouldering or raging incessantly. Whatever the case, we aim to stoke the fire.

Before stoking the fire one must find it first. This is a personal quest as we are all unique but family, friends, and sometimes even strangers can be powerful positive influences. Finding your adventure are words of encouragement directed towards this search. Motivation is important and we are here to say, “Go for it!”

Trying something new is often a part of this process. Finding a mentor or just a friend to do it wrong with may help. Trying something new can be intimidating and require a “leap of faith”. This friend or “mentor” can help encourage and motivate. Have confidence in yourself and remember you do not need to “succeed”…whatever you’ve decided that looks like.

Success is satisfying and there’s value in setting attainable goals, this i will not deny. I do, however, believe whole heartedly that the journey is the reward and some of my fondest memories were colossal “failures.”

Beautiful experiences often evolve from the unknown. This is the place we dive into when pushing our abilities or trying a new activity. Growth and discovery live in this wonderful place we cannot access without a “leap of faith.” It matters not weather you’re trying a new trick, reaching for a hold or attempting a new trail. Taking this leap is success on it’s own well deserving of acknowledgement and praise.

We all need these words of encouragement because there will forever be their counterpart. Demons dwelling within will inevitably surface, often before we even get a chance to start. These demons come in many forms and feed off things like doubt and sometimes even reason. We cannot mute these demons altogether as sometimes they say things like “I’m scared, there’s exposure.” Ignoring them here may not be as suitable as roping up. We do need to recognize them, however, and not let them cripple us.

If there is no partner or mentor to help you recognize and push past these roadblocks then work on recognizing what they look like for you and what you could employ to get around them. If we dwell too much on the perceived problem itself, sometimes it grows. Focus, rather, on whatever ammunition you can find to defeat this problem.

If lack of knowledge or familiarity be your demon then focus on finding experience in the form of a mentor, the internet, or literature. If taking a fall be your demon then maybe easing off on difficulty would help. Perhaps instruction can increase ability and execution or exercise could increase strength and fitness. Would further armour benefit you until you feel confident? Maybe that boulder problem feels comfortable with 2 pads but crippling with only 1?

This process will be different for everyone but we sure get that it’s challenging and hope to be a source for inspiration. We encourage you to find your adventure. Don’’t be afraid of looking silly when you’re doing it wrong because if you like it there will be plenty of time to get better. Look for opportunities to push yourself further within venues that bring you joy and maybe even prioritize them further if it really fills you up. Perhaps you can do that one errand early and the other one afterwards or tomorrow and still have time for that bike ride.

Keep looking for those new adventures even if you have a few logs on the fire. They will help bring balance and yield much learning and growth. Follow these roads if they feel right and see where they go. Experience is heightened and there is much stimulation with new things you suck at. It’s especially rewarding to even kind of get the hang or feel of something for the first time!

Enjoy the process of getting better and don’t get discouraged if you struggle with something. We are slow learners too and look for small victories to gain confidence and boost moral. This is especially relevant if enjoying adventures which require fitness. As we elevate our objectives and require physical growth we also need patience. These gains take lots of time and effort but the juice is well worth the squeeze.

Keep stoking the fire!

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