Steve Bate

Back in 2011, I was diagnosed with a condition that is slowly robbing me of my eyesight. I've now lost most of my vision, and because the condition is degenerative, I will go blind.

The reason why I’m telling you this is not because I want your sympathy. I’m telling you this because I’ve learned a couple of lessons which have changed my life, massively, for the better. And I want to share these lessons with you.

To be honest, I was devastated when I heard the optician tell me that I was going blind. I was working as an outdoor instructor at the time, and losing my eyesight – and my driving licence – was a game changer. It was 3 months before I began to find my way out of depression and my mental state was not great.

But by then, I had worked something out for myself. There wasn’t much I could do about my degenerating eyesight. But I had total control over what I did next. Just like everyone else, I wasn't going to be on this planet forever, so I might as well make every moment count. And how much I let my condition get in the way of that was completely up to me.

Lesson #1: Life is short. Don’t let anything

stop you from following your dreams.

So, I had a dream and I set myself a goal: to solo climb a rock face called El Capitan. It’s a 3000-foot-high climb in Yosemite in California. It took six days to climb, sleeping on a portable ledge suspended hundreds of feet above the valley each night, and I cried when I got to the top (but keep that to yourself). You can find out more in the ‘Adventures’ section, but … Read More