Level 2.37 - Focus

Level Your Life - [The Level of Focus][2.37]

Focus

The Tao Te Ching says, " Hold on to the ancient Tao, control the current reality." In other words, when you stay focused in the moment, you control what can be controlled - you take the charge.

Such was the case of a world-class athlete who, running a marathon, told his tired body not to run twenty-six miles; he told it to run one mile and repeat it twenty-six times. His focus was on one small segment at a time.
Small,manageable segments offer a way to focus on each step of the way, whether in an athletic event or any other area of life. This will both relax and energize you while also increasing your confidence in achieving the task as you control your current reality.

Focus is the calm state of parking your attention on your experience in the moment rather than on past events or future possibilites.

This Zen state is equivalent to where your mind goes during a compelling movie or book as all else fades into the background.

We know that the difference between a good performance and a bad one is simply focus. So where must your focus lie ? On what you can do in the moment.  When your attention is on outcomes,results, or scores, which you can´t control, you get tense and tentative, and your performance will usually suffer.

When you focus instead on what you can control - the process, the little things,your attitude, the mechanics, and your mental training - you become calm, relaxed, and confident and thus create favorable results.

Using meditation, visualization, and affirmation as suggested by LYL will train your mind to have the focus of the seeker.




Declaration: I choose to focus only on what I can control, in that moment, and enjoy the process of experiencing my very best performances.

Reflection : What are all the little things involved in my activity that I can control, and how can I develop better focus in other parts of my world ?






[Add-on : Affirmations,Visualizations,Exercise,Guide]






[paraphrased and inspired by Spirit of the Dancing Warrior]

Level 2.31 - Goals

Level Your Life [The Level of Goals][2.31]

Goals



are like beacons, flashing lights on the horizon that keep you on track during a satisfying and rewarding journey. They shine in the distance, encouraging movement toward the extraordinary. For many people, setting goals in the traditional way creates tension, anxiety, and pressure as the focus shifts from the process to outcomes and results.

We invite you to instead set lofty goals and dream about their realization, then pull back and enjoy being in the moment and involved  in doing all the little things that are necessary to keep you on target.
If you should fall short, you will still have achieved more than if your focus had been shortsighted.

The key to success with goals is to remember not to measure your self-worth by any outcome. Let your goals function as that distant lighthouse, guiding you from afar to move and perform in the present moment, one day at a time, and see how close you can get to fulfilling them.

During the 56 Lessons of the Adventurer we learn to set our goals in the spirit of passion, aligning them with what we love, and then enjoying our movement and progress toward the lantern we have set to illuminate our way.

For the potter, the treasure is not found in the finished pot but in the experience of making it. 

For the marathoner, the real prize is not completion of the race but the dynamic three months of training.

In the Asian art of archery, the archer focuses on the true bull´s-eye, the dantien or gut center of his physical and emotional being, as he releases the arrow. If he is truly centered and his goal is to be the best he can be ( the real target) , he will experience success no matter where the arrow lands.
The real target is within, and the achievement of the external goal is a mere reflection of his hitting this inner bull´s-eye.




Declaration: I am able to set lofty, passionate goals because they enable me to achieve greater heights as I refuse to measure my self-worth by outcomes. My goals are lanterns that light the way.

Reflection: Following the 56 Lessons of the Adventurer , what goals am I now willing to establish so I can position myself for extraordinary growth ? What do I gain from this new way of setting goals?