I’ve been doing a lot of biking this summer - over 450 miles so far - and have luckily had only one incident of road rash. A graceful glide to the earth, played out in slow motion, I was going along a gravel-filled back road when my tire hit the edge of rock and twisted my bike down one way while I fell the other way. Half my body covered in dirt, lower leg scraped of skin, a still-tender injury to my knee but, overall, it could’ve been a lot worse.
I notice when I ride now that I’m much more aware of the rocks on the ground. With all the recent rain pushing things into the streets, rocks seem to be scattered everywhere. It’s a funny thing that happens to me when I see one in front of me, though. Instead of my front tire avoiding it, there’s an unconscious swerve towards the rock. At the last minute I have to wake my brain and body up to steer away and avoid another crash.
Interestingly, if I keep my focus on the empty space that surrounds the rock on the road, my bike automatically maneuvers there. It doesn’t take any extra energy or directed thought - it just happens - and gives me a very successful ride.
This is similar to what can happen as you’re going about your day. You’re focused on going from A to Z, solving problems and taking corrective action. At the same time, though, there’s a part of your brain that’s guarding against issues that you know might impede your progress. The rationale is that, by keeping an eye on the known problems, you’ll end up avoiding them. The brain is wired to search out potential harm so this safety feature comes on-line without much thought.
The reality, though, is that whatever you’re focusing on is where you’re going to go.Even if it’s not really where you want to go, if you’re looking there, you're headed towards it… not the best scenario and can lead to lots of complications and duplicity in both life and work product.
It takes practice to keep your focus on what you do want and let go of what you don’t want. Building this strength in attention, similar to what happens in meditation, requires that you keep steering yourself back to what you want, where you want to be, and what's working well.
Instead of looking at the objects blocking your path to success (whatever your success looks like, even if it’s just laundry), shift your focus to the open space where potential and possibilities lie, where it’s going well, and where you’re able to take good action (aka the space in between the rocks). Let the obstacles go to the side of the road.
Questions for you then... What are the rocks in your life that you no longer want to come in contact with? How are you steering your life so they don’t keep incrementally popping up and so that what you do want paves the road ahead for you?
If you’re finding it difficult to steer or navigate your course, give me a shout and we’ll come up with some ways that will have your ride a lot easier, smoother, and fun. Enough wasting your energy on things you don’t want. Let’s have your life filled with things that make you sing.
Peace and Love,
Shanti
I notice when I ride now that I’m much more aware of the rocks on the ground. With all the recent rain pushing things into the streets, rocks seem to be scattered everywhere. It’s a funny thing that happens to me when I see one in front of me, though. Instead of my front tire avoiding it, there’s an unconscious swerve towards the rock. At the last minute I have to wake my brain and body up to steer away and avoid another crash.
Interestingly, if I keep my focus on the empty space that surrounds the rock on the road, my bike automatically maneuvers there. It doesn’t take any extra energy or directed thought - it just happens - and gives me a very successful ride.
This is similar to what can happen as you’re going about your day. You’re focused on going from A to Z, solving problems and taking corrective action. At the same time, though, there’s a part of your brain that’s guarding against issues that you know might impede your progress. The rationale is that, by keeping an eye on the known problems, you’ll end up avoiding them. The brain is wired to search out potential harm so this safety feature comes on-line without much thought.
The reality, though, is that whatever you’re focusing on is where you’re going to go.Even if it’s not really where you want to go, if you’re looking there, you're headed towards it… not the best scenario and can lead to lots of complications and duplicity in both life and work product.
It takes practice to keep your focus on what you do want and let go of what you don’t want. Building this strength in attention, similar to what happens in meditation, requires that you keep steering yourself back to what you want, where you want to be, and what's working well.
Instead of looking at the objects blocking your path to success (whatever your success looks like, even if it’s just laundry), shift your focus to the open space where potential and possibilities lie, where it’s going well, and where you’re able to take good action (aka the space in between the rocks). Let the obstacles go to the side of the road.
Questions for you then... What are the rocks in your life that you no longer want to come in contact with? How are you steering your life so they don’t keep incrementally popping up and so that what you do want paves the road ahead for you?
If you’re finding it difficult to steer or navigate your course, give me a shout and we’ll come up with some ways that will have your ride a lot easier, smoother, and fun. Enough wasting your energy on things you don’t want. Let’s have your life filled with things that make you sing.
Peace and Love,
Shanti
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