Challenge - Focus - Action
The pillars of creating meaningful experiences
In the world of climbing, what captures the attention quickly is the challenge. Getting from the ground to the top of a route requires the climber to figure out how to move through a series of handholds and footholds without falling off. As a climber continues in the sport, they usually are trying harder and more complex movements to get to the top. If the top was the ultimate goal, then once a wall was climbed, there would be no reason to go back.
This applies to any sport. If winning was the ultimate goal, then once there is a win, there would be no reason to continue. It is the challenge we seek as human beings. A life without challenge is actually pretty boring and can lead to the pursuit of entertainment that may be detrimental. Video games that can leave a person sitting for hours on end, entertained, but not moving is not good for our bodies or minds.
Sport or recreation can create a sense of entertainment and joy for most and define a career for others. What makes the difference is how the challenge fits with what we value. If you are like me you value movement and physical health above many other things. No need to win. Just a deep need to move and explore movement. When challenged to figure out movements, focus emerges. Nothing else exists. A one-pointed focus and concentration capture the usually busy mind and aims attention in the present moment.
In this state, there is a state of peace and openness despite the challenge. A sense of just moving in flow with the moment. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist defines flow as being in the zone. A state where we experience the right level of challenge, one-pointed focus on the task, time distortion, and deeply satisfying and rewarding experience emerges.
Action is required. Flow is not a passive state. It may be a physical action, it may be a mental action. Challenging the mind to focus only on the breath requires the action of focusing on the breath. Challenging the mind to focus on the awe-inspiring elements of nature surrounding one during a walk in the woods, requires mental action. Asking the mind to move in a less reactionary way, but a more open and curious way while being focused on a specific thing is a skill that requires practice.
Many yoga classes start with movement because the mind is moving continually and to capture it’s attention, one might direct the mind to pay attention to movement. Then postures can be held for a count of the breath, gradually slowing the mind and allowing it to just be present, not off making a to do list or menu planning.
What do you value above all other values where you could challenge yourself?
What will you do today to practice focusing the mind?
What action could you take to create more meaningful experiences?