Disruptors Alain Robert: Interview With Human Spiderman, Climbed Over 160 Buildings With NO Safety Equipment [Business, mindset, entrepreneur, disruptors]
Fear is something that we all feel, especially as entrepreneurs, as we are taking calculated risks every day. In this episode, Rob interviews urban climber Alain Robert aka ‘The Human Spider’ from his home in Bali. Alain talks about his passion for climbing, how he overcame a fear of heights as a child and how he’s managed to monetize and live off what he enjoys doing. If you want to learn how to conquer your own fear of taking risks, this is the episode for you. Can you live your life as if your climbing a building without a safety rope?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
How do you deal with fear and conquer that fear? Fear is never that complicated. I started to climb because it’s my dream. I watched a film when I was a child, in the film a plane crashed and some people were climbing a mountain to rescue the passengers. That really inspired me. When I was 11 I started to climb. Each climb I am trying to realise a dream. I was afraid of heights as a kid so I climbed to overcome that fear which essentially is a fear of dying. Deep down your brain knows the consequences of falling.
Why did you choose climbing? I enjoy it. Finding the resources in myself. I enjoy taking a calculated risk, pushing the envelope and I’m good at it. I enjoy it because it keeps me alive. Some people don’t need to be close to the limit of life but I do, I need to be close to my limit.
Is there a paradox in what you do? Yeah, of course, the closer I am to my limit, the more satisfaction I get. You need to find your own path. To take any kind risks you need to have some motivation, something that inspires you. I got inspired by some people climbing the mountain in that film everyone needs their equivalent.
How is your climbing different to other types of climbing? I’m not interested in the sport. I’m interested in something that is difficult, and that is deadly. If I was climbing with a rope, it would be a sport and I wouldn’t be interested in that. It’s more like a way of life. I need to feel that I am touching with the tip of finger, death. This makes me enjoy life even more.
How do you prepare for a climb? By doing normal training but the most important aspect is willpower. I’m 56 now so I don’t need to train as much, maybe an hour a day. I go on my climbing wall which is a roof, and I invent some difficulties. I currently am choosing easier targets than in the past because it’s harder than when I was 35.
Is there is a battle with your ego as you get older? I need to carefully choose my goals. I study the building first and don’t climb it if it isn’t right. Then I train specifically for that climb. I guess I was more stubborn when I was younger. The most amazing challenge I did when I was 30, free solo rock climbing. I can tell at one glimpse whether a building is going to good for a climb. I do it at night, trying to climb a few metres up and down; testing. I have to find solutions. Sometimes the structure changes which can be difficult. There is plenty of factors that can make it challenging.
How have you made this passion into a career? I started to get sponsored and make a living as a professional climber. Then I got more and more demands for climbing. It became a way of having fun and making money. Throughout my life, I have been faithful to my path. I only started to get enough sponsorship to make a living when I started to climb buildings. I was 18 when I got my first sponsorship but I was around 28 when I was able to make a living out of it. Before then I worked in a sports shop but my boss was paying me a full-time salary even though I only worked 18 hours a week.
How does the sponsorship work for you? When I climb I can get huge coverage. For my last ascent in London, the coverage was amazing, we talking about nearly a billion people saw it on TV. I just wear the brand on my clothes, quote the brands in interviews if possible. They are able to use the pictures and the video from the climb.
How do you deal with challenges of the law of what you do? More people like it than don’t like it. Even the police, were excited in what I was doing. I enjoy the possibility of getting caught. I am kind of a gentle criminal. I’ve never thought that this is something that I didn’t want to do for whatever reason. I’m still in good shape and will carry on.
Worst Advice I have ever seen? Not to be daring enough to realise your dreams. Having a boring life is boring.
What doe the word disruptive? What am I doing I am disrupting people?
What scares you? Boredom
BEST MOMENTS
‘I am trying each time to realise a dream.’
‘Yeah of course, the closer I am to my limit the more satisfaction I get.’
‘You need to find your own path’
‘I need to feel that I am touching with the tip of finger, death.’
‘Everything has to do with willpower.’
‘I enjoy it because it keeps me alive.’
‘Throughout my life, I have been faithful to my path.‘
‘If this is your path, you better carry on.’
‘Nearly, a billion people saw me climb on TV.’
‘I started to climb because of a dream’
‘Having a boring life is boring.’
[Business, mindset, entrepreneur, disruptors]
VALUABLE RESOURCES
ABOUT THE HOST
Rob Moore is an author of 9 business books, 5 UK bestsellers, holds 3 world records for public speaking, entrepreneur, property investor, and property educator. Author of the global bestseller “Life Leverage” Host of UK’s No.1 business podcast “Disruptors”
“If you don't risk anything, you risk everything”
CONTACT METHOD
Rob’s official website: https://robmoore.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robmooreprogressive/?ref=br_rs
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/robmoore1979
ABOUT THE GUEST
Alain Robert is a French rock climber and urban climber known as "the human Spider-Man" Robert is famous for his free solo climbing, scaling skyscrapers using no climbing equipment except for a small bag of chalk and a pair of climbing shoes. After his accidents or before climbing any building with his bare hands, Alain Robert has always called his life into question and continued to take calculated risks. He is not afraid of falling, that is how he always achieves his goals.
CONTACT METHOD - ALAIN ROBERT
Website - http://www.alainrobert.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/frenchspiderman/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alainrobertofficial/?hl=fr
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkffARFKUXHFUAaEeZKa0yw