Pushing Past Fear- Indoor Rock Climbing

I was on a roll after our ski trip and signed up to try indoor rock climbing, another bucket list item.  I was surprised to find a few places in our state and one that is fairly close.  We chose one near my oldest and made the journey to meet up with her.  All of us being newbies, I signed us up for a group class.  They showed us how to put on our harnesses and how to find the right size shoes.  Just like bowling you can rent the shoes but unlike bowling you can use your sneakers if you choose.  We went for the full experience and rented the climbing shoes which I think was the way to go since they are made for the sport.  The kids let me go first which isn’t really the way I operate, I like to hang back and see others do something before jumping in to try.  Our staff member clipped me in and I started maneuvering up the wall.  I was nervous and scared but I kept going until I was shaking too bad to continue.  After getting back to the ground and seeing the highest spot my feet made it to I realized I had only climbed just over 5 feet, right around how tall I am.  I must say I was slightly disappointed with myself, it seemed like I was much higher when I was on the wall.  Of course the kids did better than me on their first tries, pushing past the low bar that I had set.  It was on my third climb that I finally made it to the top of the wall.  Our session was for an hour and a half which when I booked it I thought would not be long enough but after an hour I was starting to feel it in muscles I didn’t know I had! The staff member assigned to us was very knowledgeable and encouraging, giving pep talks as needed and boosting our confidence.  By the end of our time we ventured away from the beginner walls and tried one of the difficulty marked walls and attempted a 5.8.  Two in our group made it to the top, I made it about three quarters of the way.  Reflecting on the activity after the fact I really wondered what it was that I was so afraid of.  I don’t mind heights if I feel safe so just being in a harness with a rope and trusting a stranger is out of my comfort zone.  The floor was padded with thick mats and I was on a safety line but yet I was still scared, or was I?  I am starting to think that I may not really be afraid but rather due to the trauma in my childhood I do not know how to separate excitement and nervousness from fear.  The other thing that I noticed is the more times I went up the wall the quieter these feelings became.  Just like many things you try for the first time it is scary but the more you do it the more comfortable you become.  So as you reach out of your comfort zone and try things that scare you, take a moment to reflect and see is it really fear or are you mislabeling your feelings of excitement and nervousness?  I would love to hear about something you thought was scary and once you tried it found out it wasn’t that bad or that you loved it!  Please post your comments below.