Don't Compete
Competition is everywhere, but if you're competing then you're only trying to beat those around you. Everyone wants to be "number 1" at something, but sometimes you need to look at yourself and realise 'Right now, I'm actually doing good; but could improve in these areas...' - and you can't do that if you're constantly trying to beat someone else.
If you are going to compete - compete against YOURSELF. Why compete against those around you, when your biggest opponent is actually yourself? Your limitations are within yourself, nobody else is imposing them upon you.
Don't be afraid to be afraid
Fear is natural, and fear is healthy. Fear is the mind telling you that you're at risk right now, and what you're doing is dangerous - so be careful.
Children feel fear when they have to cross the road alone for the first time - but do you feel fear when you cross the road now? Nope, because you've trained yourself - you've exposed yourself to it so many times that it is a non-event, its something you do everyday.. numerous times. You've trained yourself to do it safely, and you've trained yourself to become confident at it.
Unlearn what you have learned
From a young age we are taught what is right, and what is wrong. We are taught that "Do Not Enter" means we aren't allowed to go in there, we are taught that the night is for sleeping and we are taught that the night is full of danger.
I've gone beyond the "Do Not Enter" sign many times - and I loved every second of it. I've been sleeping nocturnal hours for periods of weeks intermittently for years - and I'm fine. I've been out all night more times than I care to remember - and I'm still intact.
Challenge those ideas which you have been taught before - and question just what truth or reality is behind them; if any. Most you will find to be someone elses perception of what is right, and perception is far from reality.
Listen to your body, it knows best
Your body knows things that your mind will never comprehend. You know that rumble in your stomach when you haven't eaten for a few hours? Or that dry mouth when you need a drink? Or even that drowsy feeling accompanied by the yawns when you need sleep? What about those aches and pains after an active night the day before?
Your body knows itself more than anyone else. When you go to the doctor; he asks YOU how YOU feel doesn't he? He doesn't simply look at a painful leg and diagnose it immediately does he? The fact is; your body knows whats wrong long before anything else - if you listen to your body and act upon what it tells you, you can train and maintain health at the same time.
Follow your instinct, not other people
Parkour. NightOps. Urban Exploration. Buildering... Whatever we do; we're not the average person. Average people are tucked away comfortably in bed, whilst we roam the night. Normal people take the sidewalk, whilst we take the roof tops and throw ourselves over fences and off of walls. Everyday people walk past numerous buildings everyday whilst we wander about whats inside them.. then we find out.
Sometimes you need to follow your instincts, and not the herd. You are not a sheep.
Learn from other disciplines
How many of you guys are into Martial Arts? If so - how many of you stick to one discipline? I'm willing to bet that most of you practice MMA, or have atleast looked at other disciplines and arts.
Or how many of you guys practice parkour? Quite a majority I'm guessing.
We all have one discipline in common - NightOps. However, and this community is very good with this one, we all learn from other disciplines - be they Parkour, Urbex, Martial Arts.. I consider myself an Urban Explorer, however I have learnt a lot from Parkour, and I have learnt alot from NightOps. Now I don't even consider myself as a Traceur, an Urban Explorer or a NightOpper. I have learnt so much from each discipline that.. well.. lets see the next point;
Your way has no name
We all "Op" for different reasons, and as the above point underlines - we all use a variety of techniques and a mixture of disciplines. Whilst we're all NightOppers - we're not. NightOps to one is different to NightOps to another. This community could learn SO MUCH from this one point - I remember the times when we had long, and often frustrating arguments, about defining NightOps - WHY?
We all have specific styles, and thats what makes us us. Its what makes us unique and our skillsets specific. It means we can learn so much more from eachother, and should we all contribute to this forum - we can develop a truly comprohensive encyclopedia of techniques, training methods, gear ideas and more..
Always do your best, and you will never disappoint yourself
I defy anyone to go out tonight, put in 100% and not come back feeling happy with themselves. I've gone out before, and ran out of time before I've even got from the perimeter fence to the building; yet I've still left with a feeling of pure satisfaction. How? I put 110% into that night, I went slow and truly found out just how well I can op - yet I didn't even make it to the building.
By putting in 100%, you may not even accomplish your objective - but you can see just how well you can do at simple tasks - even crawling through overgrowth, climbing stealthily over a fence, waiting and checking for activity.. by doing this as well as you physically can, you get a reward that no "success" can bring. Infact, putting in maximum effort is a success in itself.
The obstacles you face will define you
The obstacles we face present us with the choices we make, and the choices we make define just who we really are. When under pressure your true colours come out; Will you run, Or will you hide? Will you take the exit, or take the staircases? Is it time to leave, Or is there more to see?
When I first got into this, I was presented with the obstacle of a factory which I could never quite get into - despite trying about 3 times. When the friends I took had got bored of it; I carried on.. I know that factory like the back of my hand now and have visited more times than I care to remember in the space of 3 years next month. My friends who gave up? They do that, they still do that. Thats not a negative thing per se; but it defines them - they give up when faced with obstacles. I've had similar experiances with 2 other buildings, and I'm going through a similar one right now - but you know what? I'll be at that building within the next few weeks trying again.. and probably again. Thats who I am though; either hopelessly optimistic or stupid.
Walls arent always barriers
When a freerunner/traceur see's a wall - they don't see a barrier, they see an opportunity for a vault, or some other form of trickery. This is a whole new mindset, and one that we are ALL developing; for you never fully have this mindset.. its always developing.
Similarly, when we see a certain type of fencing - we don't see a barrier, we see a set of weak points. When we see a type of CCTV set up - we don't see a barrier, we see another set of vulnerabilities. Our whole mindset is about developing this new set of eyes, and always learning new techniques.. thus developing the mindset further.
There are risks everywhere
When we cross the road - we risk getting run other. I can remember from doing a course in Electrical Engineering that the correct way to do a Risk Assesment was "Severity x Probability = Risk". So crossing the road = "HIGH SEVERITY x LOW PROBABILTY = MEDIUM RISK" for example.
Now developing that we can see that risks are everywhere; Going out in the rain - You could slip up, Going in that old building - You could get trapped, Walking through a rough area - You could get mugged, Abseiling off that bridge - You could fall, Walking up the stairs - You could trip and fall, Doing a cat leap - You could slip and hurt yourself... As you can see; we cannot avoid risks - even in everyday life. The best we can do is minimise risk - be it with traffic lights, banisters along the stairs, or in our case - a good level of training and practice, followed up by the correct mindset and approach when opping.
When you're doing something different, you're alone most of the time
When you set yourself away from the crowd and do something different, you are doing just that - acting differently and setting yourself away from the crowd. Whilst this may seem painfully obvious when put in words, it is often a lot harder to understand in practice.
Other people will NOT be able to understand why you creep around in the dark trying to get into buildings dressed in black. Other people will NOT be able to chill with you when you get back, have a drink or two and chat about "the good times back when we were on that rooftop in x". If you get caught - you will have alot of explaining to do. If you don't get caught but get into a relationship? Ditto. Don't expect the crowd to understand those who have turned their back on them and wandered of - those who make up the crowd dream of being able to see the sights we see - you just have to look at the comments when people see pictures from Urbex trips. There may be envy, There may be jealousy - but there will certainly not be understanding.
Know your limits
We all have limits - no matter how much we hate to admit it. We are only human afterall. However, sometimes we wont even admit to ourselves what are true limits are. Theres nothing more dangerous than yourself - and if you don't know your own limits then you could be setting yourself up for a massive fall.
When you start a training plan, you don't start running marathons immediately do you? NightOps, Urbex, Parkour.. its all similar. You need to slowly build up and work out just how much you can realistically do at any time.
Its better to admit to yourself about your limits, than admit them to the paramedic who has to scrape your sorry ass off the floor after taking a tumble.
Dont always ask for help
We would be stupid to think people didn't do this before the invention of the internet. A quick "wiki" of Buildering shows it was popular in the 1950's! Or how about Sebastian Foucan, David Belle.. or the "first freerunners/traceurs", where could they turn for help?
Remember, nobodies methodology is right and nobodies is wrong. Its all about what is best for YOU. Nobody knows what is best for you than yourself. Sometimes its best to look at a problem and try and come up with a solution for yourself, this not only helps to serve the community with the possibility of developing new techniques - it also provides you with the valuable skill of being able to think creatively. Sometimes you wont be able to run off to the internet and look for help, and when you're on an op and only have the creativity of your own mind to rely on.. well, you'll thank yourself for adapting your mindset to be more independent.
Be free like animals
Animals have a pretty kickass life. They don't have work, They mate with whoever they like, They don't have to worry about finding toilets.. They have it made. Now whilst those examples of how animals kickass may not work that well for us - also consider how animals have no boundaries, animals rely on their own talents and fitness...
The defining moment for me on an op was laying down near some overgrowth watching a building for activity, when I saw movement.. when I turned I saw a small white cat about 3 meters away just standing there looking confused.. before walking past me. This cat demonstrated stealth, elegance, confidence, cunning as well as an inquisitive nature; all things that I like to work into my own ops. From this moment on, I've always tried to bear this cat in mind when preparing ops.
Dogs also show similar tendencies - with their ability to sniff out and detect nearby animals, as well as their loyalty and mentality of protecting their pack.
Good and Bad do not exist.
Good or Bad aren't real, they are perceptions.
There is no such thing as a "Bad Op" when compared to a "Good Op" - if they both achieve the same thing.
Your Life as a Road,
Your Feeling as a Guide,
Your Body as a vehicle.
I just like this one.
