How many of you are willing to admit to being social media devotees? Millennials cannot take all the blame or credit for being the generation of having phone in hand even as they eat their meals or head to the bathroom. The era of having almost everything at our fingertips is one we can all appreciate. Complaining in frustration for overuse of digital devices while we compulsively scour Pinterest for recipes or listen to our podcasts is a little hypocritical.
The number of times I heard my sixty plus year old parents’ generation explain how disturbing it is to watch youth so immersed into their phones. Well, that was until they were forced or encouraged to trade in their old vintage flip phones for new age smart cells.
Quickly realizing how simple their once dreaded exposure to technology is, the speedy information and commands at their fingertips turns theses grumbling critics into wide-eyed addicts. Yep, the same fingers that were shaking judgmentally in front of our faces not that long ago have learned to swipe and zoom.
Attention span prior to the mobile revolution was believed to be at twelve seconds. Since then it has dropped to eight seconds. Apparently, it is at its lowest ever since technology.
Aside from sensory distractions, with so much information at our fingertips on a wide array of subjects, the desire for ‘more’ and ‘now’ gives us that touch and go type of lifestyle. Slow and steady just doesn’t cut it anymore. As our interests expand, we have grown to adapt to things with speed. Fast cars, fast internet, fast food, fast service, fast, fast, fast.
We not only want things quick, we want some things in quick bursts that require minimal effort. A quick shot of inspiration like a quote instead of the full story. A shot of caffeine or energy drink to keep us going instead of a meal. Emojis, images and acronyms otherwise known as ‘chat speak’ for text lingo to express thoughts and feelings. Online dating sites that have us simply swiping to the left or right. Even the very blogs we read are adapted with subheadings and bullet points. Quick and forthright.
A little story foreplay with a climactic build up is swiftly becoming redundant and undesirable. We want things now and in order to make time for all our interests we are finding ways to cut time in some areas in order to give us more time for others. So, we carry it in our back pockets or handbags to ensure we get that which we want as soon as ‘now’ could cater.
It is because of this next, next, next attitude that leaves us anxious and never completely satisfied. And why should it, the world is abundant in all we seek. But we are so busy stuffing our faces with life, we hardly slow down, chew on and savor a moment. Therefore, we are unconsciously moving through life without any real satisfaction.
This multi-layered interest on a variety of subjects is prone for no real focus on anything particular to cause significant achievement or change. This could explain why so many of us feel incredibly overwhelmed with our ridiculously busy lifestyles yet feel outrageously stagnant.
Though we may bounce around from device to device or activity to activity, it also causes for very erratic, random, and sloppy focusing.
We are all influencers of each other to some degree. We all follow current trends or new obsessions but when it comes to dreams and desires of importance, the greatest diversion of all is each other. We are all great focusers until someone speaks, until someone is sharing their advice, pressing their opinions, sharing their fears and doubts and what they think is wisdom.
It’s hard for us to mind our own minds and our own business!
So, what is that to say about our attention to things that matter to us? How quickly are we distracted from them? Well, our past is living proof of all that we were able to focus upon enough to make it part of the reality we manifested, experienced and share with the rest of the world. But if that ‘reality’ is not the one we had wished for or desired then we have lost focus.
Distracted or not, we are Masterful Creators for we turn thought into reality! This life we live doesn’t just happen on its own. It requires divine imagination and keen focus.
Our minds are like magic wands that make things emerge and materialize. But we have been a little clumsy with our powers. We do not yet understand it or much less believe in it, so we keep zapping and manifesting things we do not want. We have been at it for quite some time that majority of us are becoming frustrated with the deliverance.
When we ask for financial abundance, we receive the bare minimum. When we ask for success, we encounter failure. It’s not in our asking. We clearly know what we want. Our wands are not broken, they are in perfect functioning order and deliver what we invite, every time. What needs some tightening up is our focus!
Pure focus is uninterrupted and unpolluted. It is raw and absolute. It is one way, one direction, one path and one vision.
There is something incredibly powerful about focus. Not the kind of focus capable of reading a book or watching a movie or even the kind of focus that completes a task. I’m talking about magnified, acute presence. The kind of mind, body, and soul mergence devoid of all distractions. The stuff that brings out the superhuman in us.
The Guinness Book of Records documents impressive record breakers of superhuman abilities that would put even our best Superheroes to shame. Monks are able to increase their body temperature simply by the power of meditation. Human flight has been taken to another level with BASE jumpers jumping off ledges in wingsuits. We have heard miraculous survival stories and stories of incredible strength such as a mother picking up a car to free her child. Climbing Everest is a feat but attempting it without oxygen is another kind of crazy. Or is it?
Those we label as daredevils or foolish for brushing up so close to death are also those that inspire us profoundly as they find in them a superhuman power we all desire to turn on. This superhuman strength is merely our ability to achieve complete centeredness and intense focus.
The level of focus an athlete has is extraordinary. The athletic feats and extremes leave us open-mouthed, bewildered and craving our own inner wizardry. We can find ourselves cheering them on to the finish line through much anxious nail biting. We can be completely baffled at how or why anyone in their right mind would put themselves through such exertions. Certainly, from our perspective it may look like misery and mystery collectively. But for a short moment, we get to experience these elite victories and supreme triumphs through them.
There is something so incredibly powerful and magical about achieving the extraordinary. It touches and ignites the spark within us we seldom experience and when we feel it – that which is our inner, forceful, brilliant being – it feels profound. It feels like something new. It feels invincible. It feels like life, movement, energy and expansion.
It feels like presence.
The Oscar winning documentary called ‘Free Solo’ completely captured the essence of a superhuman extraordinaire. An athlete of standards that broke through every rule and concept about human capacity and moved beyond that which is impossible.
This isn’t just about physical strength or endurance. In fact, it almost has nothing to do with it. Our bodies are strong and extraordinarily resilient and adaptable. With right training, the body can overcome incredible obstacles.
This is about mind strength for no matter how strong a body is trained to be, if the mind is inept, it all falls apart.
Alex Honnold is the first person to free solo climb, with no rope or safety gear, Yosemite’s 3000 ft high El Capitan wall in just under four hours.
Alex Honnold is the first person to free solo climb, with no rope or safety gear, Yosemite’s 3000 ft high El Capitan wall in just under four hours.
What makes this so profound goes beyond climbing one of the most iconic rock formations in the world; also considered the epicenter of the rock-climbing community. It goes beyond the speed in which this mammoth vertical granite wall – stretching further than the tallest building in the world – was climbed.
The grandest feat achieved was controlling fear.
There is no greater fear in life than death. Remaining calm and focused whilst brushing up against death is unfathomable. We’re talking four hours of extraordinary focus! Honnold’s ability to remain centered and connected to his inner guidance has deeply moved and inspired even his fellow outdoor enthusiasts and extremists.
“With free soloing, obviously I know that I’m in danger, but feeling fearful while I am up there isn’t helping me in any way. It’s only hindering my performance, so I just set it aside and leave it be,” said Alex.
It is captivating how one could simply set their fear aside and ‘leave it be’. We can barely set aside our jar of Nutella and potato chips! Or that remark our partners made about us six months ago.
Honnold’s impressive abilities to maintain his vision and focus throughout all the side distractions is mystifying. From a soloist climber who enjoyed a solitary life, this experience was anything but solo. There were cameras and cameramen within his personal space documenting his every move. There seemed to be constant conversation surrounding him about statistical deaths. His peers often expressed their fears and concern for him. His new girlfriend shared her tears and fears for his safety.
Whilst there was incredible support for his ambition and vision, he was surrounded by the voice and echo of death beyond his own. Everyone’s fears were burdened onto Honnold like dump trucks offloading their trash. Of course, this came from love and concern. We have all taken part in offloading our concerns on our loved ones and we have all been the receiver of others’ trash.
It is important to note how hindering such dumping of fears can be. Advice, opinions and comments that are fear-driven are major handicaps and not the responsibility of the ‘dreamer’ to soothe the fears of onlookers.
However, Honnold’s remarkable ability to recognize, understand these fears and set them aside is admirable. It is the stuff will and determination are made of. Certainly, tenacity can get us to the finish line, but we wouldn’t want to rely on tenacity without inner connection. Honnold unequivocally paid attention and acted in accordance with his own instinct. Witnessing someone create masterfully in complete presence and connectedness is marveling.
So, how was he able to achieve this? He practiced!
He practiced for a year. He climbed the route over and over documenting every step, every obstacle and how to overcome them in a journal. He studied every granule of this mammoth rock wall in fine detail as if he were reading braille. He understood the intricacies and obstacles, the diet and preparation and the physical and mental training involved. “Nothing should surprise you”, he said. “It is important to visualize that stuff out”. He practiced visualizing this climb in such detail until it was just a matter of executing it – and all cooperative components fell into place.
Those who push their bodies to limits and in situations we deem as insane may say it is the adrenaline and thrill that excites them. It may be the desire to break records, be on top or simply to test how far one can go. But the commonality that athletes thrive on is the inner connectedness one reaches that some would achieve during meditation. It is the liberation high through the releasing of the mind and body. Everything shuts off and there is this explosive uniting with one’s inner being. This is Masterful Creating!
However, that does not mean that unless we are elite athletes, we are doomed to ever experience this connectedness. There are many activities we enjoy that bring us to that equal liberation and flight. Even falling in love gives the same upliftment and freedom.
Physical triumphs aren’t any different to achieving personal goals or manifesting desires. We are all capable of reaching this divine flight. The struggle is in maintaining focus, alignment and visualizing our ‘stuff’.
Closing the gap between imagining what we want and experiencing what we want requires sharp, conscious focus. When we create masterfully, with deliberate intent and awareness, we are in the presence of our brilliance. In fact, we are this brilliance. We merely spend such little time in our profoundness that when it shows up through the cracks of liberation, it is perceived as magic. It is perceived as something rare when, on the contrary, it is our normal state of being. Now that is a little hard to swallow as it reflects how little we linger in our magnificence and more importantly how scarcely we know our inner splendor.
Masterful Creators know their genius!
Maintaining focus on a topic where we are not switching from one thought, task, APP, subject to another generates force and momentum. It expands in size, energy and manifestation.
Powerful focus is incorrupt. It remains pure and absent of contrasting thoughts. Meaning, it is seen in only one way without the obstructions of doubt, hesitation, fear, or worry. There is stability in one’s thoughts and imagination.
It is not luck, chance or even hard work that fulfills our desires. Without vision and focus, experiencing the full manifestation of a desire is unlikely. How can we reach our dream when our focus is on its absence? How does one navigate and get from point A to point B when the drive is spent looking into the rearview mirror? How does one complete their masterpiece by searching for constant guidance from outside sources?
There is no right or wrong path nor is there something wrong with occasionally falling or failing. Our falls and fails are our refinements and enhancers. They are the building blocks, the buffers and shapers to grander visions and desires. But, when we are ready to experience this masterpiece, when we are ready to achieve our goals and taste victory, when we are ready to live the life we dream, it is time to sharpen our vision and focus. Any hindering distractors should be put aside and “left to be”.
“No one can hit their target with their eyes closed”. Paulo Coelho
Fulfil that which ignites your spark. Connect with your inner voice, guidance and being. Focus on that which brings you the best quality life.
Be attentive to what matters. Mental focus can make the difference between average and extraordinary.
Always be aware of what is focused upon or it just may end up your reality!