Food for thought today comes from an interview with Lynn Hill, the first climber, male or female, to notch a free ascent of the Nose Route on Yosemite's El Capitan. A year later she upped the ante by becoming the first to free climb the entire route in a single 24 hour period.

In an interview with Outdoor Magazine, Hill recounts her history making climb: "The Nose was challenging on many levels. It had never been done, it was such a historic route, and a lot of really good climbers had tried it and failed. I had rough times up there--things kept going wrong--but I kept moving forward. I had an underlying sense that this was my fate. Even if it's not rational, if you believe in yourself enough, that desire can make you rise to the level of whatever you've imagined."

Each of us has our own rock to climb. Whether it be the uphill pursuit of a huge career goal, the unrelenting climb of raising healthy, responsible children, the challenge of training for an athletic endeavor or a life-and-death battle against illness, everyone knows what it's like to look up at a target that seems huge and swallow hard. Some walk away because the climb seems too rigorous, strenuous or maybe even treacherous. Quitting is always an option, but at the end of it all, the climb is where you'll find joy. You may not make history the way Lynn Hill, but you'll make a difference in your own life and ultimately it's your own history that means the most.

Hill finished her interview by adding, "Being a woman, being small, being tall--it doesn't matter. It's about adapting to the rock in the best way possible with what we've been given."

Keep moving forward, friends!