Three Things We Learned About Courage from Justin Salas
Three Things We Learned About Courage from Justin Salas
April 5, 2023
By Stef Ziegler
In episode 6 of the Be Marvelus podcast, we talk to Justin Salas who is a blind professional rock climber, 6 x National Paraclimbing Champion, 2018 World Paraclimbing Champion, photographer, and an avid chess player.
Justin shares how losing his vision at age 14 pushed him down an unexpected path and taught him how to face his fears—on a daily basis. He continues to pursue his dreams with courage.
Here are our 3 biggest takeaways from the conversation with Justin:
1. Try to be 1% better each day
Justin approaches his life like he approaches climbing: one handhold at at time. He shared his philosophy about breaking down growth and improvement into small steps—because small improvements done consistently really add up.
“It's just holding yourself to a standard that is, 'How can I be 1% better tomorrow?’ It's kind of that growth mindset. Where it's not about beating yourself up for what you didn't do, it's about looking at how do you keep growing from there?
Like in climbing, we just say, one handhold at a time. Don't let it feel so big that it feels like you’re in analysis by paralysis.”
—Justin Salas
How do you try to be 1% better each day?
Know that every day, every moment offers the chance to improve—by just 1%. That might not sound like much, but the compounding effect of consistent effort can and will ultimately make a huge difference.
2. Face your fear
Justin knew that in order to regain his sense of purpose and independence in life, he’d have to face his fears. Like riding his BMX bike, for example—without the benefit of eyesight.
“Quite literally shaking fear's hand and meeting it head-on because, without the ability to overcome that, I would've just fallen back into just sitting in my room not doing anything. At the end of the day, despite all the fear, there was like a sense of accomplishment. So that was really important. Fear is the mind-killer.”
—Justin Salas
3. Train your mind to DO THE HARD THINGS.
It goes without saying that losing your sight like Justin did requires a lot of changes and adaptations. From learning a new way to ‘do school’ to relying on his sense of sound and touch to recognize people and find his way around places—Justin has become a master at adapting to life’s challenges.
But he says all of that starts IN THE MIND:
“Having a work ethic is important and having a strong willpower is extremely important. Cuz you know, no one's gonna do it for you. But it's something that can ultimately be cultivated.
I think oftentimes it's doing the hard thing even though, you know, it's hard—and still going through with it.”
—Justin Salas
To hear more of Justin’s remarkable story and his tips on cultivating courage, check out his episode here.
