Roots and rocks and other threats
Where is your focus?
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I like riding downhill on a mountain bike on narrow trails that can be moderately treacherous. They have steep drops, tree trunks, branches, roots and rocks. All are hazards that could, if handled incorrectly, result in a nasty wipeout, and injury.
Funny thing about this?
When I look off the narrow path at the edge of a hill that's going to fall away quickly. I tend to go there and fall off. When I focus on a big rock in my path, I tend to hit it.
When there's a tree that I'm worried about passing and I look at it too long?
Yup, I sure enough catch my bars and go careening to the ground.
When we focus on the threats. The threats become more real.
When we focus on the threats, the resistance and the potential for failure, these collisions become inevitable.
When taking a risk?
It’s best to focus on the openings and keep the threats in your peripheral vision.
When I am at my best I call it flow. Flow is an instinct that bounces off all potential hazards. I have been pretty good at a few things but really good at rugby back in the day. A great game was marked by how invisible I was. Invisible to the ref because I was always looking for an advantage to the opposing team. When fighting for a ball in a ruck melee I would go in aikido soft until I had my hands on the ball and then snatch it away. When about to be tackled, I would become soft like water which turned the defender into a child without its water wings. When scoring, many times I would surprise the opponent that it was actually me with the ball until it was too late to stop.
So ya! for sure! Don’t think of the obstacle ahead of you. Turn into water until you need to be a hurricane or a tidal wave.
Flow it dude!
I noticed this tendency with pot holes when I started to drive. I would see it ahead, stare at it looming ahead as I approached, determined to avoid it, and hit it, dead on. I eventually learned to focus on the clear path next to the pot hole. No more pot hole bumps.
I have learned that the universe doesn't understand "No". What you focus on, that will find its way to you. Mother Theresa famously said, "No, thank you" when invited to an anti-war rally. But if you were to invite her to a peace gathering, she would come. She knew how it works. I'll show up in the name of peace, but not in the name of war.
I see "anti" protests and cringe. What you resist persists. Anti- racism? Anti-corruption? Where's the focus? I can't say how happy the upcoming "National Day of Truth and Reconciliation" makes me. With a name like that, we will move in the desired direction as we focus on what we want. We will be successful in hitting that target. We just need to focus on the Canada we want.