Arno Ilgner's Blog
December 19, 2022
How to Climb Perfectly Now
Climbing Perfectly
Last week I overheard a climber critique his climbing performance after falling just below the top of a 5.12 route. He talked about missing a foot placement, which caused him to hesitate and fall. He said that if he would have climbed perfectly, by putting his foot precisely on the hold, then he would have succeeded. I began to wonder what it meant to “climb perfectly.” Is there such a thing as perfection in the world, and if so, what is it?
Perfectionists demand a perfect performance and reject anything that falls short of such a performance. What does a perfect performance look like? We place our feet, push with our legs, grab with our hands, and do thousands of other things to climb. Let’s consider the 5.12 climber. If he does everything “well enough,” then he’ll succeed on the 5.12 route. What happens when 5.14 climbers climb the 5.12 route? 5.14 climbers don’t do everything “well enough.” They have more skill and can place feet, push with legs, etc more perfectly. But, what happens to our understanding of perfection when 5.15 climbers climb the route? And, we can’t stop there either. Some future 5.16 climbers could do a better job climbing the 5.12 route. This shows that an end-result perception of climbing perfectly is flawed.
Photo by Ben Kitching on Unsplash
End Results
We get stuck when we dwell on end-results that can never fully be understood. Physical objects or our efforts can’t be perfect, because there’s no such thing as a final end-result state for any individual thing. Can an object like a chair ever be perfect? No matter how well it’s manufactured, it’ll have flaws. Can our efforts ever be perfect? No matter how well we perform, we can always refine how we climb.
Perfectionism is a disease of the ego, which is never satisfied. The outcomes we create typically fall short of the ego’s expectations. Compound this with the ego’s need to feel validated, based on achieving goals, and we fear taking action. Perfectionism and the ego hold us back from engaging a climb, unless we’re certain we can create a perfect performance. They make us afraid to do anything, because everything has to be perfect.
One of the best suggestions for a perfectionist is to do everything poorly. We’re not worried about creating a perfect outcome. We accept poorer quality in exchange for quicker action. Action is key. It’s required for learning and gaining incremental experience that actually can lead to what one might consider as a perfect climbing performance.
Focus on the Process
Focusing on processes can move us beyond ego perfectionism. We don’t live in a vacuum. We’re part of a wider world and processes help us integrate with it. Processes, like resting and thinking, connect us with a route. We can’t rest in a vacuum; we need to grab the holds that are part of a route. Even thinking can’t be done in a vacuum. We recall experiences we’ve had on previous routes, and think about how to apply ourselves to the route ahead of us.
Approaching perfection as a process helps us learn. We go through a process of evaluating our current strengths and limitations, and how they compare to the challenge represented by the route. How we integrate with the route represents process perfection, because the rock mirrors back to us perfectly our current level of skill. Then we can go through a process to determine what we did well and what we still need to learn.
Shifting from end-result perfection to process perfection allows us to be attentive to the unfolding learning process we’re going through. We notice how well we’re doing various processes, such as moving. How well are we placing our feet, staying relaxed, moving continuously, etc? Such observations give us information we can use immediately to blend with the rock more perfectly, without the ego’s need to arrive at some final perfect end state.
There is such a thing as perfection in the world. It’s the perfect way seemingly individual parts integrate and blend together as a process. Sometimes that process reveals that we lack skills and we fall off; other times the process reveals that we learned more skills and we succeed. Either way the process of blending occurred perfectly, given our current skill and the challenge of the route. We can climb perfectly now if we’re aware of how well climb and climber integrate. That integration reveals a perfect process that gives us opportunities to learn.
Practice Tip: Bend and Blend
Each climbing effort reveals how well you’re performing. The rock is static; it’s you that bends. Therefore, don’t fight the rock; bend to what the climb requires instead of resisting it. Then, focus on processes to help you blend with it.
One of the main processes you can do to blend with the rock is to relax. Relaxation aligns you with gravity so you can move efficiently. Monitor the level of tension needed for various moves. Then, relax your grip, lower your heels, and relax any unneeded tension. You’ll create a perfect process by bending to what the climb requires and then blending with it.
Last week I overheard a climber critique his climbing performance after falling just below the top of a 5.12 route. He talked about missing a foot placement, which caused him to hesitate and fall. He said that if he would have climbed perfectly, by putting his foot precisely on the hold, then he would have succeeded. I began to wonder what it meant to “climb perfectly.” Is there such a thing as perfection in the world, and if so, what is it?
Perfectionists demand a perfect performance and reject anything that falls short of such a performance. What does a perfect performance look like? We place our feet, push with our legs, grab with our hands, and do thousands of other things to climb. Let’s consider the 5.12 climber. If he does everything “well enough,” then he’ll succeed on the 5.12 route. What happens when 5.14 climbers climb the 5.12 route? 5.14 climbers don’t do everything “well enough.” They have more skill and can place feet, push with legs, etc more perfectly. But, what happens to our understanding of perfection when 5.15 climbers climb the route? And, we can’t stop there either. Some future 5.16 climbers could do a better job climbing the 5.12 route. This shows that an end-result perception of climbing perfectly is flawed.
Photo by Ben Kitching on Unsplash
End Results
We get stuck when we dwell on end-results that can never fully be understood. Physical objects or our efforts can’t be perfect, because there’s no such thing as a final end-result state for any individual thing. Can an object like a chair ever be perfect? No matter how well it’s manufactured, it’ll have flaws. Can our efforts ever be perfect? No matter how well we perform, we can always refine how we climb.
Perfectionism is a disease of the ego, which is never satisfied. The outcomes we create typically fall short of the ego’s expectations. Compound this with the ego’s need to feel validated, based on achieving goals, and we fear taking action. Perfectionism and the ego hold us back from engaging a climb, unless we’re certain we can create a perfect performance. They make us afraid to do anything, because everything has to be perfect.
One of the best suggestions for a perfectionist is to do everything poorly. We’re not worried about creating a perfect outcome. We accept poorer quality in exchange for quicker action. Action is key. It’s required for learning and gaining incremental experience that actually can lead to what one might consider as a perfect climbing performance.
Focus on the Process
Focusing on processes can move us beyond ego perfectionism. We don’t live in a vacuum. We’re part of a wider world and processes help us integrate with it. Processes, like resting and thinking, connect us with a route. We can’t rest in a vacuum; we need to grab the holds that are part of a route. Even thinking can’t be done in a vacuum. We recall experiences we’ve had on previous routes, and think about how to apply ourselves to the route ahead of us.
Approaching perfection as a process helps us learn. We go through a process of evaluating our current strengths and limitations, and how they compare to the challenge represented by the route. How we integrate with the route represents process perfection, because the rock mirrors back to us perfectly our current level of skill. Then we can go through a process to determine what we did well and what we still need to learn.
Shifting from end-result perfection to process perfection allows us to be attentive to the unfolding learning process we’re going through. We notice how well we’re doing various processes, such as moving. How well are we placing our feet, staying relaxed, moving continuously, etc? Such observations give us information we can use immediately to blend with the rock more perfectly, without the ego’s need to arrive at some final perfect end state.
There is such a thing as perfection in the world. It’s the perfect way seemingly individual parts integrate and blend together as a process. Sometimes that process reveals that we lack skills and we fall off; other times the process reveals that we learned more skills and we succeed. Either way the process of blending occurred perfectly, given our current skill and the challenge of the route. We can climb perfectly now if we’re aware of how well climb and climber integrate. That integration reveals a perfect process that gives us opportunities to learn.
Practice Tip: Bend and Blend
Each climbing effort reveals how well you’re performing. The rock is static; it’s you that bends. Therefore, don’t fight the rock; bend to what the climb requires instead of resisting it. Then, focus on processes to help you blend with it.
One of the main processes you can do to blend with the rock is to relax. Relaxation aligns you with gravity so you can move efficiently. Monitor the level of tension needed for various moves. Then, relax your grip, lower your heels, and relax any unneeded tension. You’ll create a perfect process by bending to what the climb requires and then blending with it.
December 12, 2022
What is the meaning of life?
A Question
Virginia Woolf asked, “What is the meaning of life?” and then added some insight, saying, “The great revelation had never come…Instead there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark.”
When I ask that question, no great revelations come to me either, at least nothing definitive. There seems to be a cloudiness around possible answers.
Danny McCracken
One thing that has been happening in my life lately is that my friends are dying. That seems natural when one is old; one’s friends are also old.
Two friends died within the last weeks. Danny McCracken, of North Carolina, died suddenly on November 22nd of a heart attack. He was 61. I had just visited him in mid-November. He had broken his leg earlier this year and was just getting back on the rock. One evening during our visit, he showed me photos of his family: father, mother, grandparents, uncles, aunts… “They’re all dead,” he told me. Now Danny has joined them.
Danny’s last text to me didn’t seem very profound at the time. Now I’m rereading it to try to add some meaning: “I'm going to be out of the house for a bit. You can let yourself in if you get there before me.” Danny is out of the house, and into another realm, for more than a bit. I let myself into his world and am grateful for it.
Shannon Stegg
Another friend, Shannon Stegg, of Georgia, died on December 1st, found dead in his truck. He was 63. We don’t know the cause of death yet. We, along with Ralph Fickle, did the first ascent of Defective Sonar on Laurel Knob in North Carolina. It took us a couple years to finish the route. The predawn arrivals in the dark, the coffee on the Jetboil, the two-mile hike to the base… the walk out in the dark because we all forgot headlamps. We got to know each other well.
Little Daily Miracles
But did I get closer to answering Virginia Woolf’s question through these and other life experiences? I must admit, I haven’t had any great revelations. It almost seems like the more I live and learn the less sure I am of the answer.
But I have had “little daily miracles.” Discussions with Danny, struggles on the rock with Shannon… These are part of the moments that make up my life. And yes, I guess they are illuminations, moments that brought joy to my path. How unexpected are they? Very. They took me off my planned path and put some curves in it, like walking out of Laurel Knob in the dark. We worked together to get out of there along the two-mile trail. Unexpected but illuminating.
The message isn’t clear, as it shouldn’t be. We try to figure out and add meaning for being alive, which is natural and needed. In the end, though, that meaning is something we need to make sense of life. We create it and use it to navigate. The message seems to be to live your life now, fully. Look around you at the people that make it up. Now, pay attention to them.
Virginia Woolf asked, “What is the meaning of life?” and then added some insight, saying, “The great revelation had never come…Instead there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark.”
When I ask that question, no great revelations come to me either, at least nothing definitive. There seems to be a cloudiness around possible answers.
Danny McCracken
One thing that has been happening in my life lately is that my friends are dying. That seems natural when one is old; one’s friends are also old.
Two friends died within the last weeks. Danny McCracken, of North Carolina, died suddenly on November 22nd of a heart attack. He was 61. I had just visited him in mid-November. He had broken his leg earlier this year and was just getting back on the rock. One evening during our visit, he showed me photos of his family: father, mother, grandparents, uncles, aunts… “They’re all dead,” he told me. Now Danny has joined them.
Danny’s last text to me didn’t seem very profound at the time. Now I’m rereading it to try to add some meaning: “I'm going to be out of the house for a bit. You can let yourself in if you get there before me.” Danny is out of the house, and into another realm, for more than a bit. I let myself into his world and am grateful for it.
Shannon Stegg
Another friend, Shannon Stegg, of Georgia, died on December 1st, found dead in his truck. He was 63. We don’t know the cause of death yet. We, along with Ralph Fickle, did the first ascent of Defective Sonar on Laurel Knob in North Carolina. It took us a couple years to finish the route. The predawn arrivals in the dark, the coffee on the Jetboil, the two-mile hike to the base… the walk out in the dark because we all forgot headlamps. We got to know each other well.
Little Daily Miracles
But did I get closer to answering Virginia Woolf’s question through these and other life experiences? I must admit, I haven’t had any great revelations. It almost seems like the more I live and learn the less sure I am of the answer.
But I have had “little daily miracles.” Discussions with Danny, struggles on the rock with Shannon… These are part of the moments that make up my life. And yes, I guess they are illuminations, moments that brought joy to my path. How unexpected are they? Very. They took me off my planned path and put some curves in it, like walking out of Laurel Knob in the dark. We worked together to get out of there along the two-mile trail. Unexpected but illuminating.
The message isn’t clear, as it shouldn’t be. We try to figure out and add meaning for being alive, which is natural and needed. In the end, though, that meaning is something we need to make sense of life. We create it and use it to navigate. The message seems to be to live your life now, fully. Look around you at the people that make it up. Now, pay attention to them.
December 5, 2022
Focus Nowhere To Focus Everywhere
A Free Mind
Yagyu Munenori, the Seventeenth Century Samurai teacher, thought that teaching mental training was essential for teaching swordsmanship. He knew that if the mind wasn’t trained to deal with stressful situations, then students wouldn’t be able to apply their swordsmanship skills. Munenori used what he learned from Buddhism and from Zen master Takuan Soho to teach mental training. His goal was helping students develop what Takuan called “a free mind.” Many phrases Munenori used had the quality of contradiction that Zen is famous for. One of my favorites that Takuan taught him is: “Put nowhere, the mind will be everywhere.”
Mental training has much to do with the mind, but digging deeper into it, we realize “the mind” is too vague of a concept. We need to understand what the mind is supposed to do, so we can develop practices that help us train it. The main task of the mind is to focus attention. Our ability to have a mind that can focus our attention effectively develops a free mind that Munenori sought to teach. It’s my understanding that what Takuan and Munenori meant by “mind” is attention. Knowing how to direct our attention to the task, and keep it focused there, is what is needed to have a free mind. There are several steps for doing this.
First, we become aware of where our attention dwells. Without awareness, attention tends to dwell in the mind, focused on all its limiting tendencies. We see a difficult climb and the mind thinks about how stressful it will be and how we’ll struggle. Attention flows from the rock climb via our eyes, into the mind where it mixes with all our past memories of difficult climbs and dwells there.
Second, we intentionally direct the flow of our attention. Knowing that our attention will tend to flow into the mind, and dwell there allows us to reverse that flow. We direct the flow of our attention from the mind to the climb. We make sure we maintain this direction of flow by engaging our senses of sight and touch. By focusing our attention on looking for subtleties of the climb and feeling the holds, we keep the flow of our attention going from the mind to the climb.
Third, we seek to focus our attention on the whole situation (us and the climb) as Munenori suggested: focusing it nowhere, so it will be everywhere. How can we focus our attention “nowhere” and have it focused “everywhere?” This seems like a contradiction, but it’s not. Attention is focused nowhere because it's not focused on any specific part of a situation. This allows attention to be expanded everywhere within the whole situation.
Focusing Attention
Effective performance requires a merging of parts into the whole. For example, Munenori told his students that if they put the mind in the opponent’s sword, they’ll be cut down; if they put the mind in their sword, they’ll be cut down. Focusing their attention on a part (opponent’s sword; their sword) keeps their attention from being focused on the whole and causes them to fail.
The same advice is relevant for climbing. If we put our attention on the hand, we’ll fail. If we put our attention on the foot, we’ll fail. We need to be aware of how much to press with the foot, while shifting our body as needed, and grabbing a small crimp. We need awareness of all parts so the whole can perform as a unified body/mind. So how do we do that?
Photo by Fionn Claydon on Unsplash
Takuan taught Munenori that if we don’t put the mind [attention] anywhere, it will go to all parts of the body and extend throughout its entirety. We spread out our attention to the whole so it’s not on any particular part within the whole. Our attention needs to be spread out to include the body and the climb, dwelling nowhere. This heightens our awareness of body proprioception, our body positioning in space, and how the body integrates with the rock climb. Of course, this is a general concept. There are many instances where we’ll need a little more awareness of a delicate foot placement, for example. But, if we focus too much on that delicate foot—one part—we’ll make errors elsewhere—the whole.
To fight well requires engaging in fighting as a unified body/mind, not separate parts. The arm, leg, and mind aren’t doing their own thing; they’re unified into one fighting experience, each part doing what it’s responsible for to support the whole. Our attention is spread throughout the whole, getting a sense of how all the parts are integrating. We’re focused nowhere so we can be focused everywhere.
Practice Tip: Double-Arrowed Awareness
Climbing efficiently and effectively requires a blending of climber and rock. Don’t fight the rock; find a way to blend with it. Project attention to the whole, inwardly to your body and outwardly to the rock, to make sure you’re blending well.
You’re blending your effort to climb upward with gravity’s downward pull. Maintain double-arrowed awareness; simultaneous awareness of the internal situation of the body as it blends with the external situation of the rock. Do this by being aware of the BERP elements: (See Espresso Lessons book for details of this exercise)
B: Breathe by making your breath continuous. This processes stress.
E: Eyes should be focused with a soft focus to create peripheral vision. This expands your focus to include all of the rock you’re engaging.
R: Relax to align with gravity’s pull and save energy.
P: Posture should be maintained properly (shoulders slightly rolled back/down) so you’re using your body efficiently.
Yagyu Munenori, the Seventeenth Century Samurai teacher, thought that teaching mental training was essential for teaching swordsmanship. He knew that if the mind wasn’t trained to deal with stressful situations, then students wouldn’t be able to apply their swordsmanship skills. Munenori used what he learned from Buddhism and from Zen master Takuan Soho to teach mental training. His goal was helping students develop what Takuan called “a free mind.” Many phrases Munenori used had the quality of contradiction that Zen is famous for. One of my favorites that Takuan taught him is: “Put nowhere, the mind will be everywhere.”
Mental training has much to do with the mind, but digging deeper into it, we realize “the mind” is too vague of a concept. We need to understand what the mind is supposed to do, so we can develop practices that help us train it. The main task of the mind is to focus attention. Our ability to have a mind that can focus our attention effectively develops a free mind that Munenori sought to teach. It’s my understanding that what Takuan and Munenori meant by “mind” is attention. Knowing how to direct our attention to the task, and keep it focused there, is what is needed to have a free mind. There are several steps for doing this.
First, we become aware of where our attention dwells. Without awareness, attention tends to dwell in the mind, focused on all its limiting tendencies. We see a difficult climb and the mind thinks about how stressful it will be and how we’ll struggle. Attention flows from the rock climb via our eyes, into the mind where it mixes with all our past memories of difficult climbs and dwells there.
Second, we intentionally direct the flow of our attention. Knowing that our attention will tend to flow into the mind, and dwell there allows us to reverse that flow. We direct the flow of our attention from the mind to the climb. We make sure we maintain this direction of flow by engaging our senses of sight and touch. By focusing our attention on looking for subtleties of the climb and feeling the holds, we keep the flow of our attention going from the mind to the climb.
Third, we seek to focus our attention on the whole situation (us and the climb) as Munenori suggested: focusing it nowhere, so it will be everywhere. How can we focus our attention “nowhere” and have it focused “everywhere?” This seems like a contradiction, but it’s not. Attention is focused nowhere because it's not focused on any specific part of a situation. This allows attention to be expanded everywhere within the whole situation.
Focusing Attention
Effective performance requires a merging of parts into the whole. For example, Munenori told his students that if they put the mind in the opponent’s sword, they’ll be cut down; if they put the mind in their sword, they’ll be cut down. Focusing their attention on a part (opponent’s sword; their sword) keeps their attention from being focused on the whole and causes them to fail.
The same advice is relevant for climbing. If we put our attention on the hand, we’ll fail. If we put our attention on the foot, we’ll fail. We need to be aware of how much to press with the foot, while shifting our body as needed, and grabbing a small crimp. We need awareness of all parts so the whole can perform as a unified body/mind. So how do we do that?
Photo by Fionn Claydon on Unsplash
Takuan taught Munenori that if we don’t put the mind [attention] anywhere, it will go to all parts of the body and extend throughout its entirety. We spread out our attention to the whole so it’s not on any particular part within the whole. Our attention needs to be spread out to include the body and the climb, dwelling nowhere. This heightens our awareness of body proprioception, our body positioning in space, and how the body integrates with the rock climb. Of course, this is a general concept. There are many instances where we’ll need a little more awareness of a delicate foot placement, for example. But, if we focus too much on that delicate foot—one part—we’ll make errors elsewhere—the whole.
To fight well requires engaging in fighting as a unified body/mind, not separate parts. The arm, leg, and mind aren’t doing their own thing; they’re unified into one fighting experience, each part doing what it’s responsible for to support the whole. Our attention is spread throughout the whole, getting a sense of how all the parts are integrating. We’re focused nowhere so we can be focused everywhere.
Practice Tip: Double-Arrowed Awareness
Climbing efficiently and effectively requires a blending of climber and rock. Don’t fight the rock; find a way to blend with it. Project attention to the whole, inwardly to your body and outwardly to the rock, to make sure you’re blending well.
You’re blending your effort to climb upward with gravity’s downward pull. Maintain double-arrowed awareness; simultaneous awareness of the internal situation of the body as it blends with the external situation of the rock. Do this by being aware of the BERP elements: (See Espresso Lessons book for details of this exercise)
B: Breathe by making your breath continuous. This processes stress.
E: Eyes should be focused with a soft focus to create peripheral vision. This expands your focus to include all of the rock you’re engaging.
R: Relax to align with gravity’s pull and save energy.
P: Posture should be maintained properly (shoulders slightly rolled back/down) so you’re using your body efficiently.
November 28, 2022
What’s the Secret Sauce to Flow Performance?
Are climbing and kayaking in any way alike? When you consider mental training and what it takes to attain a flow state performance, there’s no difference. Challenge is challenge; stress is stress; performance is performance…regardless of the medium. We need to get our minds into a flow mindset if we want to perform optimally in our chosen medium.
As many of you know, I’m working on a new book that introduces The Warrior’s Way® material to the general public. This means it’s applicable to any sport, discipline, or activity we engage in. I was excited to participate in the recent Flow Conference with other presenters, almost all of which were not climbers. During the conference, I participated in a panel discussion titled The Pillars of Thriving Through a High Performing Lifestyle. Nick Troutman, a professional kayaker and world class athlete, was another panelist. We all had a lively discussion sharing our perspectives on how to thrive while performing.
Photo by Josh Wedgwood on Unsplash
Nick has a podcast called The Art of Awesome. He invited me to participate in it (episode #184), which I did recently. One thing that’s cool about Nick is that he lives only an hour away from me. We’re both Tennesseans, enjoying the adventure sports offered by the miles of rock and river across the eastern part of the state.
Nick interviews many high performers to find “the secret sauce” of performance. Is there such a sauce? Probably. Check out some points below from our discussion and see if you can discover it. And listen to the full discussion.
Points from our discussion:
A lot has changed in mental training in the last couple decades:
A blending of neuroscience and psychology
A blending of Eastern Buddhism and Western psychology
The value of having an eclectic approach to developing training programs
We went into the core tenets of The Warrior’s Way® and how they can impact flow:
Attention: Our mental training goal is: attention focused in the moment on the current task, which makes us more mentally powerful.
2 basic ways of focusing attention: in the mind doing cognitive thinking; in the body via somatic experiencing.
Motivation: It is both important to be motivated by achievement (goals) and the process (learning); what’s critical is when we utilize each, which gets us into flow more easily. Before action utilize achievement motivation; during action utilize process motivation.
Process motivation is our primary motivation because it makes up the majority of our lives. We demonstrate we’re process motivated by doing the work for its own sake.
Incremental learning: since process motivation is primary, then we need to engage stressors incrementally so we’re willing to be present for them. It’s essential to have some stress in order to learn; yet, we also don’t learn if we take on too much stress.
Fight, flight, freeze seeks to escape stress that’s in the present moment. “Fighting” seeks to fight to get it over-with; “fleeing” seeks to escape it; “freezing” seeks to stop change from happening.
We want to enjoy our lives so we need to be willing to be in the midst of struggles, not to fight, flee, or try to freeze them into some artificial comfort zone.
Falling and failing help us understand the consequences of our decisions and accept responsibility for them.
You will digress when learning new things because you have to break down your old foundation. This drop in performance can be discouraging so it’s really important to be curious. Once it’s broken down and new skills are learned, then you can take your performance to the next level.
Coaching: we tend to coach others toward end results: “You’ve got it.” Athletes will lose focus so need to coach them in ways that refocus them on the task, not solve the problem for them.
Why is it called The Warrior’s Way®?
Traditional warriors have a job to protect their country. When there’s a stressor or threat, they move toward it. In a mental training context, it’s important to move toward the stressors in life as warriors do. It takes courage to do that. If we see stressors as opportunities, then it’s easier to be courageous.
Is The Warrior’s Way® violent? No, we don’t fight against those stressors, we fight with them. The climber and the rock need to come together to create a performance. The kayaker and the medium of the river need to come together to create a performance. Flow performance means that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Fire Round:
My favorite quote: Stoics say “amor fati”, which means a love of fate, or loving what is. This helps me remember to honor stressors as learning opportunities.
My favorite book currently: Peak Mind, by Amishi Jha
If today was my last day on earth, what 3 truths would I leave for the world?
Life is impermanent. It seems like life lasts forever, but it doesn’t. Make sure you invest your minutes on what is important to you. Today is important; pay attention to it.
You need to be grateful for blessings and struggles.
Trust how life unfolds. If you try to control life, you’ll just get frustrated. Have an internal locus of control and an external locus of trust. Be mentally flexible. Know where you’re going by setting goals and then trust how you’re getting there.
What is my definition of awesome? Being able to really appreciate the present moment. Being able to see it, experience it, and appreciate it.
Did you find the secret sauce?
As many of you know, I’m working on a new book that introduces The Warrior’s Way® material to the general public. This means it’s applicable to any sport, discipline, or activity we engage in. I was excited to participate in the recent Flow Conference with other presenters, almost all of which were not climbers. During the conference, I participated in a panel discussion titled The Pillars of Thriving Through a High Performing Lifestyle. Nick Troutman, a professional kayaker and world class athlete, was another panelist. We all had a lively discussion sharing our perspectives on how to thrive while performing.
Photo by Josh Wedgwood on Unsplash
Nick has a podcast called The Art of Awesome. He invited me to participate in it (episode #184), which I did recently. One thing that’s cool about Nick is that he lives only an hour away from me. We’re both Tennesseans, enjoying the adventure sports offered by the miles of rock and river across the eastern part of the state.
Nick interviews many high performers to find “the secret sauce” of performance. Is there such a sauce? Probably. Check out some points below from our discussion and see if you can discover it. And listen to the full discussion.
Points from our discussion:
A lot has changed in mental training in the last couple decades:
A blending of neuroscience and psychology
A blending of Eastern Buddhism and Western psychology
The value of having an eclectic approach to developing training programs
We went into the core tenets of The Warrior’s Way® and how they can impact flow:
Attention: Our mental training goal is: attention focused in the moment on the current task, which makes us more mentally powerful.
2 basic ways of focusing attention: in the mind doing cognitive thinking; in the body via somatic experiencing.
Motivation: It is both important to be motivated by achievement (goals) and the process (learning); what’s critical is when we utilize each, which gets us into flow more easily. Before action utilize achievement motivation; during action utilize process motivation.
Process motivation is our primary motivation because it makes up the majority of our lives. We demonstrate we’re process motivated by doing the work for its own sake.
Incremental learning: since process motivation is primary, then we need to engage stressors incrementally so we’re willing to be present for them. It’s essential to have some stress in order to learn; yet, we also don’t learn if we take on too much stress.
Fight, flight, freeze seeks to escape stress that’s in the present moment. “Fighting” seeks to fight to get it over-with; “fleeing” seeks to escape it; “freezing” seeks to stop change from happening.
We want to enjoy our lives so we need to be willing to be in the midst of struggles, not to fight, flee, or try to freeze them into some artificial comfort zone.
Falling and failing help us understand the consequences of our decisions and accept responsibility for them.
You will digress when learning new things because you have to break down your old foundation. This drop in performance can be discouraging so it’s really important to be curious. Once it’s broken down and new skills are learned, then you can take your performance to the next level.
Coaching: we tend to coach others toward end results: “You’ve got it.” Athletes will lose focus so need to coach them in ways that refocus them on the task, not solve the problem for them.
Why is it called The Warrior’s Way®?
Traditional warriors have a job to protect their country. When there’s a stressor or threat, they move toward it. In a mental training context, it’s important to move toward the stressors in life as warriors do. It takes courage to do that. If we see stressors as opportunities, then it’s easier to be courageous.
Is The Warrior’s Way® violent? No, we don’t fight against those stressors, we fight with them. The climber and the rock need to come together to create a performance. The kayaker and the medium of the river need to come together to create a performance. Flow performance means that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Fire Round:
My favorite quote: Stoics say “amor fati”, which means a love of fate, or loving what is. This helps me remember to honor stressors as learning opportunities.
My favorite book currently: Peak Mind, by Amishi Jha
If today was my last day on earth, what 3 truths would I leave for the world?
Life is impermanent. It seems like life lasts forever, but it doesn’t. Make sure you invest your minutes on what is important to you. Today is important; pay attention to it.
You need to be grateful for blessings and struggles.
Trust how life unfolds. If you try to control life, you’ll just get frustrated. Have an internal locus of control and an external locus of trust. Be mentally flexible. Know where you’re going by setting goals and then trust how you’re getting there.
What is my definition of awesome? Being able to really appreciate the present moment. Being able to see it, experience it, and appreciate it.
Did you find the secret sauce?
November 21, 2022
The Flow of Attention
Investigating Mental Training
Investigating mental training is so intriguing because, as we dig into it, subtle ways of understanding and using our attention are revealed. It’s especially helpful when we can develop practices to improve our mental game. Knowing that being mentally fit requires us to have our attention focused in the moment, gives us a central tenet to guide our investigation and practice.
Other Disciplines
Through our training, we give students specific processes for focusing their attention, so it’s on task and not on what they fear. It’s cool to come across other disciplines that give evidence that supports this. One such discipline is General Semantics (GS), which was developed in the 1930s by Alfred Korzybski. GS digs into how we use language and how language uses us. If we don’t become aware of how language uses us, then we’ll fall victim to it.
Korzybski’s tome (Science and Sanity) on GS is laborious reading. I’ve read through an abbreviated version, but other GS authors present his material in ways that are easier to read, understand, and apply. One such author is Ted Falconar, who wrote Creative Intelligence. A simple concept in GS is “the map is not the territory.” This means that the map we perceive in the mind, is not the actual territory out there in the world. Unless we’re aware, we’ll use the map instead of the territory. We’ll focus our attention on a false mental map, instead of the real territory we’re engaging in.
Ted Falconar relates how the flow of our attention determines whether we rely on the false map or investigate the real territory. Let’s say we’re on-sighting a difficult route. At stopping points, our attention is focused in the mind to do critical risk-assessment thinking. Then, when it’s time to climb, we shift our attention to the body, to climb. On-sighting, however, has many unknowns: what holds should we use; how should we use them; will we be able to use them? Such questions direct our attention into the mind, using memory to understand what actions to take. This splits our attention between the body and the mind, causing hesitation in our commitment, and fear.
How Fear is Created
To understand how fear is created we begin by investigating the two ways our attention can flow: to reinforce the map in the mind, or to investigate the territory (the climb). First, attention can flow to reinforce the map, if we allow our attention to flow from the object to the observer. We see an object, a small hold. The visual sense impressions flow from object to observer; from the hold to us. Then the mind mixes the sense impressions with memory. We rely on past memory to determine the usability of the hold. We don’t understand the territory (the hold) because we have our attention focused on the map (past memories of small holds).
Second, attention can flow to investigate the territory. We reverse the flow of attention by directing it from observer to object. Our attention flows from us to the hold and into its details. To do this, we intentionally by using our senses of sight and touch. We look for subtleties in the object (hold) like its shape, size, and orientation. We feel the hold and how our hand or foot integrates with it. This shifts our attention to the territory we’re engaging in and allows us to understand it as well as possible. We’re not perceiving what’s possible based on past memory; we’re determining reality based on engagement with the hold, now.
Photo by Joe Wagner on Unsplash
Motvation, Awareness & Intention
Motivation determines how our attention will flow. The mind’s natural comfort-seeking tendency causes our attention to flow from object to observer. This reinforces our mental map, what’s already comfortable for us.
It takes awareness, intention, and effort to reverse the direction of the flow of our attention. In other words, we need to be motivated toward stress, not comfort. It’s more stressful to direct our attention from observer to object because we’re leaving our comfort zone and entering the unknown. Therefore, a shift in our motivation is critical.
Observer
We also influence the flow state, an optimal state of performance that all athletes strive to attain, by how our attention flows. We create a dual situation when our attention flows from object to observer. We separate into two distinct things: climber and rock. The climber fights with the rock, preventing any flow from occurring.
We create a unity situation when our attention flows from observer to object. We connect and integrate with the climb, blending with it, so there isn’t a dual situation anymore. Observer and object, climber and rock, unite; duality shifts to unity. This helps us attain the flow state.
Simplicity
This may sound like a complicated process, but really there’s a simplicity to it all. Motivation drives how we’ll use our attention. The mind’s comfort-seeking motivation causes our attention to flow from the rock to us, mixing with past memories that keep us within our comfort zones. We believe the false map in our heads, instead of the reality of the territory we’re engaging in. All that’s needed is awareness to change how we’re motivated, so our attention can change direction. We willingly engage stress by directing our attention toward the rock. We see a positive, one-pad-wide hold on a slight angle. We feel it, wiggle our fingers around to grab it, and pull on it. We leave the map behind and enter the territory. What the mind fears is transformed through actions. Duality shifts to unity; we become one with the rock and flow with it.
Practice Tip: See and Feel the Holds
You’ll have a tendency to allow your attention to flow from the holds to the mind and doubt your ability to use them. Doing this frames what’s possible based on what was comfortable for you in the past.
Rather, intentionally direct your attention toward the holds. Look at the hold. Engage your visual (sight) and kinesthetic (feeling) senses. See the subtleties of the hold, its shape, size, and orientation. Feel the texture and irregularities of the hold and how your hand/foot blends with it. The hold’s usability will be based on how you grab it today, how you feel today, and all the other factors that are relevant today. You’re framing what’s possible based on what you’re engaging now.
Investigating mental training is so intriguing because, as we dig into it, subtle ways of understanding and using our attention are revealed. It’s especially helpful when we can develop practices to improve our mental game. Knowing that being mentally fit requires us to have our attention focused in the moment, gives us a central tenet to guide our investigation and practice.
Other Disciplines
Through our training, we give students specific processes for focusing their attention, so it’s on task and not on what they fear. It’s cool to come across other disciplines that give evidence that supports this. One such discipline is General Semantics (GS), which was developed in the 1930s by Alfred Korzybski. GS digs into how we use language and how language uses us. If we don’t become aware of how language uses us, then we’ll fall victim to it.
Korzybski’s tome (Science and Sanity) on GS is laborious reading. I’ve read through an abbreviated version, but other GS authors present his material in ways that are easier to read, understand, and apply. One such author is Ted Falconar, who wrote Creative Intelligence. A simple concept in GS is “the map is not the territory.” This means that the map we perceive in the mind, is not the actual territory out there in the world. Unless we’re aware, we’ll use the map instead of the territory. We’ll focus our attention on a false mental map, instead of the real territory we’re engaging in.
Ted Falconar relates how the flow of our attention determines whether we rely on the false map or investigate the real territory. Let’s say we’re on-sighting a difficult route. At stopping points, our attention is focused in the mind to do critical risk-assessment thinking. Then, when it’s time to climb, we shift our attention to the body, to climb. On-sighting, however, has many unknowns: what holds should we use; how should we use them; will we be able to use them? Such questions direct our attention into the mind, using memory to understand what actions to take. This splits our attention between the body and the mind, causing hesitation in our commitment, and fear.
How Fear is Created
To understand how fear is created we begin by investigating the two ways our attention can flow: to reinforce the map in the mind, or to investigate the territory (the climb). First, attention can flow to reinforce the map, if we allow our attention to flow from the object to the observer. We see an object, a small hold. The visual sense impressions flow from object to observer; from the hold to us. Then the mind mixes the sense impressions with memory. We rely on past memory to determine the usability of the hold. We don’t understand the territory (the hold) because we have our attention focused on the map (past memories of small holds).
Second, attention can flow to investigate the territory. We reverse the flow of attention by directing it from observer to object. Our attention flows from us to the hold and into its details. To do this, we intentionally by using our senses of sight and touch. We look for subtleties in the object (hold) like its shape, size, and orientation. We feel the hold and how our hand or foot integrates with it. This shifts our attention to the territory we’re engaging in and allows us to understand it as well as possible. We’re not perceiving what’s possible based on past memory; we’re determining reality based on engagement with the hold, now.
Photo by Joe Wagner on Unsplash
Motvation, Awareness & Intention
Motivation determines how our attention will flow. The mind’s natural comfort-seeking tendency causes our attention to flow from object to observer. This reinforces our mental map, what’s already comfortable for us.
It takes awareness, intention, and effort to reverse the direction of the flow of our attention. In other words, we need to be motivated toward stress, not comfort. It’s more stressful to direct our attention from observer to object because we’re leaving our comfort zone and entering the unknown. Therefore, a shift in our motivation is critical.
Observer
We also influence the flow state, an optimal state of performance that all athletes strive to attain, by how our attention flows. We create a dual situation when our attention flows from object to observer. We separate into two distinct things: climber and rock. The climber fights with the rock, preventing any flow from occurring.
We create a unity situation when our attention flows from observer to object. We connect and integrate with the climb, blending with it, so there isn’t a dual situation anymore. Observer and object, climber and rock, unite; duality shifts to unity. This helps us attain the flow state.
Simplicity
This may sound like a complicated process, but really there’s a simplicity to it all. Motivation drives how we’ll use our attention. The mind’s comfort-seeking motivation causes our attention to flow from the rock to us, mixing with past memories that keep us within our comfort zones. We believe the false map in our heads, instead of the reality of the territory we’re engaging in. All that’s needed is awareness to change how we’re motivated, so our attention can change direction. We willingly engage stress by directing our attention toward the rock. We see a positive, one-pad-wide hold on a slight angle. We feel it, wiggle our fingers around to grab it, and pull on it. We leave the map behind and enter the territory. What the mind fears is transformed through actions. Duality shifts to unity; we become one with the rock and flow with it.
Practice Tip: See and Feel the Holds
You’ll have a tendency to allow your attention to flow from the holds to the mind and doubt your ability to use them. Doing this frames what’s possible based on what was comfortable for you in the past.
Rather, intentionally direct your attention toward the holds. Look at the hold. Engage your visual (sight) and kinesthetic (feeling) senses. See the subtleties of the hold, its shape, size, and orientation. Feel the texture and irregularities of the hold and how your hand/foot blends with it. The hold’s usability will be based on how you grab it today, how you feel today, and all the other factors that are relevant today. You’re framing what’s possible based on what you’re engaging now.
November 14, 2022
How to Make Stress Your Friend
Is stress bad or good for you? Well, it depends. It depends on your belief about it. Check out this cool TED talk that Kelly McGonigal did about the value of making stress your friend.
Kelly says she used to think of stress as the enemy. Yet the science shows that the biological response to stress is radically different based on our belief about it. Here we see mental training impacting our lives and the importance of continually working on our mental game. In other words, what we think is accurate can be totally incorrect.
Photo by Jackalope West on Unsplash
Here are some points from the talk. Watch the video also to gain its full value. Kelly is a great presenter.
When we believe stress is bad, our blood vessels contract.
When we believe stress is good, they don’t contract. They stay relaxed.
Don’t get rid of stress; get better at working with it.
When you believe this way, your body helps you process the stress.
One of the most underappreciated aspects of the stress response is that stress makes you social.
Oxytocin, the “cuddle hormone,” finetunes your brain’s social instincts, to strengthen relationships. It’s as much a part of the stress response as adrenaline is.
When life is difficult, your stress response wants you to be surrounded by people who care about you.
Caring creates resilience.
How you think and how you act can transform your experience of stress.
When you see stress as helpful, you create the biology of courage.
Stress gives us access to our hearts.
When you choose to see stress this way, you’re not just getting better at stress, you’re actually making a profound statement. You’re saying you trust yourself to handle life’s challenges.
I really like this last point. Foundational to mental training is trusting how life unfolds. Changing your belief about stress helps you embrace it as opportunities to find joy and meaning in life.
Kelly says she used to think of stress as the enemy. Yet the science shows that the biological response to stress is radically different based on our belief about it. Here we see mental training impacting our lives and the importance of continually working on our mental game. In other words, what we think is accurate can be totally incorrect.
Photo by Jackalope West on Unsplash
Here are some points from the talk. Watch the video also to gain its full value. Kelly is a great presenter.
When we believe stress is bad, our blood vessels contract.
When we believe stress is good, they don’t contract. They stay relaxed.
Don’t get rid of stress; get better at working with it.
When you believe this way, your body helps you process the stress.
One of the most underappreciated aspects of the stress response is that stress makes you social.
Oxytocin, the “cuddle hormone,” finetunes your brain’s social instincts, to strengthen relationships. It’s as much a part of the stress response as adrenaline is.
When life is difficult, your stress response wants you to be surrounded by people who care about you.
Caring creates resilience.
How you think and how you act can transform your experience of stress.
When you see stress as helpful, you create the biology of courage.
Stress gives us access to our hearts.
When you choose to see stress this way, you’re not just getting better at stress, you’re actually making a profound statement. You’re saying you trust yourself to handle life’s challenges.
I really like this last point. Foundational to mental training is trusting how life unfolds. Changing your belief about stress helps you embrace it as opportunities to find joy and meaning in life.
November 7, 2022
The Importance of Doing a Thorough Thinking Process
Cloud Peak
Jeff Lodas, one of our trainers, and I had a big goal: to do a new route on the East Face of Cloud Peak in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. The East Face is a beautiful 1000-foot wall with only two established routes. We’ve worked on the new route during 2015 and 2016. Our trip in 2017 provided us with enough time to finish it. Yet, we failed, not because of the difficulty of the goal, but because of the delay we encountered on our approach to the mountain.
In previous years we walked in the entire way: a 13-mile approach. The first part, six miles of improved trail, is an easy hike, albeit with heavy loads. The second part, seven miles without a trail, is difficult, consisting of scrambles across talus blocks and dense forests.
Photo by Clay Knight on Unsplash
This year we had a bright idea: we could borrow an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) to carry our heavy packs on the first part of the approach. However, the trail for the ATV was different from the hiking trail. It started farther north and ended at a lake, intersecting the hiking trail. We didn’t think completely about the consequence of that difference. The allure of riding an ATV captured our attention. So, we borrowed a “Big Boss 6x6,” a 6-wheeled ATV, from our friends in Lander and drove to the trailhead.
Thinking Process
Bright ideas are great, but they can get us into trouble if we don’t do a thorough thinking/preparation process. Preparation requires thinking through an idea to understand it completely. “Completely” means thinking about all aspects of the risk, which include: the goal, the consequence, and the plan.
Jeff and I were both unfamiliar with using an ATV and the ATV trail. After one false start, we found ourselves 20 miles in the wilderness with a broken-down ATV. The right-front and left-middle wheel assemblies came apart. It took us two days to hike out, get tools and repair parts, and fix it. This two-day delay positioned us in the middle of an inclement weather window on Cloud Peak, two pitches from the summit, preventing us from finishing the route and achieving our goal.
Let’s look at where our thinking process was incomplete.
Goal: We understood the goal. We wanted to arrive at the lake with the ATV and our heavy packs.
Consequence: We didn’t understand the consequence. We should have asked, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Answering that question would give us valuable information, such as the ATV breaking down, running out of gas, or the trail becoming impassable.
Plan: Knowing the full consequences would help us think about how to prepare for dealing with it. Could we fix the ATV or hire someone to fix it? Could we bring additional gas? Could we find out more information about the condition of the trail?
Roadblocks
We’ll invariably hit roadblocks that cause us to doubt our ability to stay committed when taking a risk. We did hit roadblocks with the ATV. First, we had a false start. We drove five miles down the trail and realized we didn’t have enough gas. So, we returned to get more gas. Second, after experiencing the roughness of the trail on our false start, I doubted whether or not we should use the ATV. Better thinking prior to engaging the risk would have provided us with valuable information to be prepared to deal with such doubts.
We can also fall victim to similar incomplete thinking in climbing. We can tend to just start climbing, hoping for the best. Then, when we encounter unknowns we didn’t expect, our commitment is shut down, or we find ourselves in situations that aren’t appropriate.
Doing a thorough thinking/preparation process helps us convert unknowns into knowns, and helps us take appropriate risks.
Goal: Are we doing an on-sight ascent or just becoming familiar with a route, working toward a redpoint ascent? Being clear about the goal prevents us from changing our minds when we’re stressed.
Consequence: Clarifying if it’s a no-fall or a yes-fall risk helps us know how to deal with the possibility of falling. We don’t allow falls in no-fall zones; we allow falls in yes-fall zones.
Plan: Knowing the consequences will help us think about how to prepare for dealing with it. How long and “rough” is the climbing? How will we apply our energy so we use it efficiently? Could we find out more information about the route?
We’ll hit roadblocks that cause us to doubt our ability to stay committed. These roadblocks seem unsurpassable if we haven’t thought them through beforehand. Maybe we run out of energy, or gas, because we failed to identify potential rest stances or to use our resources efficiently? Maybe doubts arise because we’re unfamiliar with the type of risk we’re in? We already know how to deal with doubts if we’ve clarified whether it’s a no-fall or yes-fall risk.
Bright ideas are great, but they must be tempered with a thorough thinking process. Doing this prevents us from being two moves from our goal, breaking down, and falling, or being two pitches below the top of a beautiful new route on Cloud Peak’s East Face and failing.
Practice Tip: Looking and Thinking
Doing incomplete thinking can get you into trouble. Do a thorough thinking process during your preparation for a risk. At rest stances:
Look up to identify the end of the risk. Where is the next rest stance with protection?
Look down to determine the fall consequence. Is it a no-fall or yes-fall risk?
Look up again to develop your plan. What can you do to arrive at the end of the risk and diminish chances of falling?
When you commit, listen to doubts if you’re in a no-fall zone, but don’t listen to doubts if you’re in a yes-fall zone.
Jeff Lodas, one of our trainers, and I had a big goal: to do a new route on the East Face of Cloud Peak in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. The East Face is a beautiful 1000-foot wall with only two established routes. We’ve worked on the new route during 2015 and 2016. Our trip in 2017 provided us with enough time to finish it. Yet, we failed, not because of the difficulty of the goal, but because of the delay we encountered on our approach to the mountain.
In previous years we walked in the entire way: a 13-mile approach. The first part, six miles of improved trail, is an easy hike, albeit with heavy loads. The second part, seven miles without a trail, is difficult, consisting of scrambles across talus blocks and dense forests.
Photo by Clay Knight on Unsplash
This year we had a bright idea: we could borrow an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) to carry our heavy packs on the first part of the approach. However, the trail for the ATV was different from the hiking trail. It started farther north and ended at a lake, intersecting the hiking trail. We didn’t think completely about the consequence of that difference. The allure of riding an ATV captured our attention. So, we borrowed a “Big Boss 6x6,” a 6-wheeled ATV, from our friends in Lander and drove to the trailhead.
Thinking Process
Bright ideas are great, but they can get us into trouble if we don’t do a thorough thinking/preparation process. Preparation requires thinking through an idea to understand it completely. “Completely” means thinking about all aspects of the risk, which include: the goal, the consequence, and the plan.
Jeff and I were both unfamiliar with using an ATV and the ATV trail. After one false start, we found ourselves 20 miles in the wilderness with a broken-down ATV. The right-front and left-middle wheel assemblies came apart. It took us two days to hike out, get tools and repair parts, and fix it. This two-day delay positioned us in the middle of an inclement weather window on Cloud Peak, two pitches from the summit, preventing us from finishing the route and achieving our goal.
Let’s look at where our thinking process was incomplete.
Goal: We understood the goal. We wanted to arrive at the lake with the ATV and our heavy packs.
Consequence: We didn’t understand the consequence. We should have asked, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Answering that question would give us valuable information, such as the ATV breaking down, running out of gas, or the trail becoming impassable.
Plan: Knowing the full consequences would help us think about how to prepare for dealing with it. Could we fix the ATV or hire someone to fix it? Could we bring additional gas? Could we find out more information about the condition of the trail?
Roadblocks
We’ll invariably hit roadblocks that cause us to doubt our ability to stay committed when taking a risk. We did hit roadblocks with the ATV. First, we had a false start. We drove five miles down the trail and realized we didn’t have enough gas. So, we returned to get more gas. Second, after experiencing the roughness of the trail on our false start, I doubted whether or not we should use the ATV. Better thinking prior to engaging the risk would have provided us with valuable information to be prepared to deal with such doubts.
We can also fall victim to similar incomplete thinking in climbing. We can tend to just start climbing, hoping for the best. Then, when we encounter unknowns we didn’t expect, our commitment is shut down, or we find ourselves in situations that aren’t appropriate.
Doing a thorough thinking/preparation process helps us convert unknowns into knowns, and helps us take appropriate risks.
Goal: Are we doing an on-sight ascent or just becoming familiar with a route, working toward a redpoint ascent? Being clear about the goal prevents us from changing our minds when we’re stressed.
Consequence: Clarifying if it’s a no-fall or a yes-fall risk helps us know how to deal with the possibility of falling. We don’t allow falls in no-fall zones; we allow falls in yes-fall zones.
Plan: Knowing the consequences will help us think about how to prepare for dealing with it. How long and “rough” is the climbing? How will we apply our energy so we use it efficiently? Could we find out more information about the route?
We’ll hit roadblocks that cause us to doubt our ability to stay committed. These roadblocks seem unsurpassable if we haven’t thought them through beforehand. Maybe we run out of energy, or gas, because we failed to identify potential rest stances or to use our resources efficiently? Maybe doubts arise because we’re unfamiliar with the type of risk we’re in? We already know how to deal with doubts if we’ve clarified whether it’s a no-fall or yes-fall risk.
Bright ideas are great, but they must be tempered with a thorough thinking process. Doing this prevents us from being two moves from our goal, breaking down, and falling, or being two pitches below the top of a beautiful new route on Cloud Peak’s East Face and failing.
Practice Tip: Looking and Thinking
Doing incomplete thinking can get you into trouble. Do a thorough thinking process during your preparation for a risk. At rest stances:
Look up to identify the end of the risk. Where is the next rest stance with protection?
Look down to determine the fall consequence. Is it a no-fall or yes-fall risk?
Look up again to develop your plan. What can you do to arrive at the end of the risk and diminish chances of falling?
When you commit, listen to doubts if you’re in a no-fall zone, but don’t listen to doubts if you’re in a yes-fall zone.
October 31, 2022
Tools to Improve Your Focus and Concentration
How about some practical tools for improving your focus and concentration? How about one podcast episode that contains many of them? Enter Huberman Lab’s episode #88 on the Focus Toolkit.
Photo by Fionn Claydon on Unsplash
Here are some important takeaways:
Sleep: Sleep is important. Well, that’s an understatement. Actually, sleep is important. You cannot downplay the importance of sleep for being able to be effective and focused during the day. Podcast timeline: (00:15:15)
Ultradian cycles: These are the length of time that you can do deep focused work. Ultradian cycles are 90 minutes maximum. You can only do 2-3 of these cycles per day. Podcast timeline: (00:26:14)
Rest after deep focus: Just like climbing, which has cycles of stopping (to recover energy) and moving (to apply energy) we need to cycle between focusing and defocusing. Our attention system becomes exhausted, which is restored by defocusing. Podcast timeline: (00:31:22)
Virtusan app: This is a cool app to track your physical and mental health journeys. Check the app store. Podcast timeline: (00:35:35)
Stress and concentration: Stress has been proven to increase concentration. Think of a stressful rock-climb and how it can focus you. Podcast timeline: (00:52:55)
Cold showers: Yes, cold immersion has specific effects on the brain that help you focus. Do it, do it now! Podcast timeline: (00:55:46)
Meditation: 12-13 minutes a day of meditation improves concentration. Amishi Jha has shown this to be true also in her book Peak Mind. You must, must start a meditation practice today. According to Jha, it is the only practice that actually trains attention effectively. And, from a mental training perspective, attention is what we’re training. Podcast timeline: (01:01:19)
Yoga Nidra: Did I say in the first bullet point that sleep was important? Yes I did. Here, Yoga Nidra can help you get the sleep you need. I use it regularly. If you’re struggling to get back to sleep after getting up to go to the bathroom (like I do) you must use this tool. You’ll be glad you did. Podcast timeline: (01:07:40)
Playing with focuses: Experiment between narrowing (overt) and expanding (covert) focusing. Narrowing focus helps you focus on a specific task. Expanding focus helps you stay relaxed as a baseline for remaining grounded. Podcast timeline: (01:16:46 to 01:20:42)
Combining tools: Get his suggestions on combining and choosing these tools. Podcast timeline: (01:34:47)
There are plenty of other tools that he covers that include supplements etc that are not aspects of how we investigate mental training. But, they can be interesting for you to investigate. Enjoy.
Photo by Fionn Claydon on Unsplash
Here are some important takeaways:
Sleep: Sleep is important. Well, that’s an understatement. Actually, sleep is important. You cannot downplay the importance of sleep for being able to be effective and focused during the day. Podcast timeline: (00:15:15)
Ultradian cycles: These are the length of time that you can do deep focused work. Ultradian cycles are 90 minutes maximum. You can only do 2-3 of these cycles per day. Podcast timeline: (00:26:14)
Rest after deep focus: Just like climbing, which has cycles of stopping (to recover energy) and moving (to apply energy) we need to cycle between focusing and defocusing. Our attention system becomes exhausted, which is restored by defocusing. Podcast timeline: (00:31:22)
Virtusan app: This is a cool app to track your physical and mental health journeys. Check the app store. Podcast timeline: (00:35:35)
Stress and concentration: Stress has been proven to increase concentration. Think of a stressful rock-climb and how it can focus you. Podcast timeline: (00:52:55)
Cold showers: Yes, cold immersion has specific effects on the brain that help you focus. Do it, do it now! Podcast timeline: (00:55:46)
Meditation: 12-13 minutes a day of meditation improves concentration. Amishi Jha has shown this to be true also in her book Peak Mind. You must, must start a meditation practice today. According to Jha, it is the only practice that actually trains attention effectively. And, from a mental training perspective, attention is what we’re training. Podcast timeline: (01:01:19)
Yoga Nidra: Did I say in the first bullet point that sleep was important? Yes I did. Here, Yoga Nidra can help you get the sleep you need. I use it regularly. If you’re struggling to get back to sleep after getting up to go to the bathroom (like I do) you must use this tool. You’ll be glad you did. Podcast timeline: (01:07:40)
Playing with focuses: Experiment between narrowing (overt) and expanding (covert) focusing. Narrowing focus helps you focus on a specific task. Expanding focus helps you stay relaxed as a baseline for remaining grounded. Podcast timeline: (01:16:46 to 01:20:42)
Combining tools: Get his suggestions on combining and choosing these tools. Podcast timeline: (01:34:47)
There are plenty of other tools that he covers that include supplements etc that are not aspects of how we investigate mental training. But, they can be interesting for you to investigate. Enjoy.
October 24, 2022
Improvement Versus Enjoyment?
Recently, a reader contacted me wanting to know how he could regain his joy of climbing. He lamented that the pure joy he felt when he first started climbing had been replaced by a focus on his improvement that left him wanting. He wondered if it’s possible to regain his joy without sacrificing his progress.
Do we have to choose between improvement and enjoyment?
Initially our reader enjoyed climbing. He was a beginner with few expectations about how well he was supposed to perform. Most of us can identify with this “beginner’s mind” state. Our attention was free to flow with the activity itself. As we improved, though, a shift in our motivation occurred. We began creating expectations which centered around how quickly we were improving; rather than how much fun we were having. Goals became the new focus, instead of the effort itself.
In general, enjoyment comes from wanting to be where we are. In Climbing, we enjoy relaxing on easier climbs, taking a break in our comfort zones to relax. We also enjoy challenging ourselves by pushing our limits. One gives us comfort whereas the other stresses us. They aren’t mutually exclusive when considering enjoyment.
Photo by Fionn Claydon on Unsplash
Cyclic Balance
However, our enjoyment diminishes if we stay in stress or comfort too long. Consider the balance required between resting at night and being active during the day. If we rest too long we’re compelled to become active; if we’re active too long we’re compelled to rest. This same balance is required in climbing.
We pay attention to how we’re motivated to shift between the two without forcing ourselves toward one or the other. If we climb easier routes too long, then we begin to sense a desire to challenge ourselves. If we climb challenging routes too long, then we begin to sense a desire to climb easier routes. We tune into our intuition to sense how we’re being motivated. Doing this allows us to enjoy where we are.
Pay Attention to the Process
We immerse ourselves in whatever situation we’re motivated toward by finding ways to engage deeply in it. We do this by paying attention to the processes that occur in the moment. We don’t think about what we’re supposed to be experiencing; we’re aware of what we’re experiencing. Thinking is a filter that interprets what’s being experienced, and measures it against our expectations. Thinking interferes with how we’re being motivated, causing us to stay in comfort or stress too long, and become out of balance. Awareness connects us with the body, and our intuition, so we’re aware when it’s time to shift from comfortable climbing to challenging climbing or vice versa.
The problem isn’t choosing between improvement and enjoyment. It’s allowing ourselves to shift between stress and comfort. We regain our beginner’s mind by diminishing our expectations that interfere with accepting where we are. Having a beginner’s mind helps our attention flow as our intuition moves us. We immerse ourselves in climbing, expecting to find something interesting in the present moment, not at a future destination.
Practice Tip: Go Deeper
Want more enjoyment? Engage your attention in the body, which is always in the present moment. Do this by slowing down and going deeper. There’s much more occurring in a given situation than we initially perceive.
Engage your attention in the senses of sight and feeling as you climb. See the shape, color, and size of the holds you grab and step on. Feel the texture as you engage them. Maintain eye contact while you do this, which engages your attention and improves your awareness of how your body is interacting with the rock. Best of all, you’ll enjoy the engagement itself without being distracted toward some future improvement.
Do we have to choose between improvement and enjoyment?
Initially our reader enjoyed climbing. He was a beginner with few expectations about how well he was supposed to perform. Most of us can identify with this “beginner’s mind” state. Our attention was free to flow with the activity itself. As we improved, though, a shift in our motivation occurred. We began creating expectations which centered around how quickly we were improving; rather than how much fun we were having. Goals became the new focus, instead of the effort itself.
In general, enjoyment comes from wanting to be where we are. In Climbing, we enjoy relaxing on easier climbs, taking a break in our comfort zones to relax. We also enjoy challenging ourselves by pushing our limits. One gives us comfort whereas the other stresses us. They aren’t mutually exclusive when considering enjoyment.
Photo by Fionn Claydon on Unsplash
Cyclic Balance
However, our enjoyment diminishes if we stay in stress or comfort too long. Consider the balance required between resting at night and being active during the day. If we rest too long we’re compelled to become active; if we’re active too long we’re compelled to rest. This same balance is required in climbing.
We pay attention to how we’re motivated to shift between the two without forcing ourselves toward one or the other. If we climb easier routes too long, then we begin to sense a desire to challenge ourselves. If we climb challenging routes too long, then we begin to sense a desire to climb easier routes. We tune into our intuition to sense how we’re being motivated. Doing this allows us to enjoy where we are.
Pay Attention to the Process
We immerse ourselves in whatever situation we’re motivated toward by finding ways to engage deeply in it. We do this by paying attention to the processes that occur in the moment. We don’t think about what we’re supposed to be experiencing; we’re aware of what we’re experiencing. Thinking is a filter that interprets what’s being experienced, and measures it against our expectations. Thinking interferes with how we’re being motivated, causing us to stay in comfort or stress too long, and become out of balance. Awareness connects us with the body, and our intuition, so we’re aware when it’s time to shift from comfortable climbing to challenging climbing or vice versa.
The problem isn’t choosing between improvement and enjoyment. It’s allowing ourselves to shift between stress and comfort. We regain our beginner’s mind by diminishing our expectations that interfere with accepting where we are. Having a beginner’s mind helps our attention flow as our intuition moves us. We immerse ourselves in climbing, expecting to find something interesting in the present moment, not at a future destination.
Practice Tip: Go Deeper
Want more enjoyment? Engage your attention in the body, which is always in the present moment. Do this by slowing down and going deeper. There’s much more occurring in a given situation than we initially perceive.
Engage your attention in the senses of sight and feeling as you climb. See the shape, color, and size of the holds you grab and step on. Feel the texture as you engage them. Maintain eye contact while you do this, which engages your attention and improves your awareness of how your body is interacting with the rock. Best of all, you’ll enjoy the engagement itself without being distracted toward some future improvement.
October 17, 2022
Can You Hardwire Happiness in Your Brain?
Can you do tangible practices that hardwire your brain over time to be happy? Dr. Rick Hanson believes so. Check out this interesting TEDx Talk to dig deeper. I wondered if he was advocating positive thinking, training your brain, or both. Whatever he’s advocating, I like to think it has a lot to do with attention. In other words, what you focus your attention on becomes your life experience.
Dr. Hanson states that “passing mental states become lasting neural traits.” Basically, neurons that fire together, wire together. The brain has a negative bias, probably due to its survival potential. That can leave you safe but unhappy. Finding ways to enhance the positive experiences, through training, can bring balance to the brain.
Basically he is asking you to let positive experiences persist in your awareness. From a neuroscience perspective, that means allowing the neurons to fire longer…together, creating a stronger neural network.
Here’s his easy HEAL acronym of 4 steps to remember to “take in the good”:
Have a good experience: You must activate it, to get it going.
Enrich the experience: This helps install it in your brain. Make it last; help it grow in your body; let it be increasingly intense. Give yourself over to it.
Absorb it: Sense and intend that it’s sinking into you.
Link positive to negative (optional step): Link the positive experience with something negative. Stay strong with the positive and gradually associate it with the negative. It’ll grow into the negative to calm and soothe it, even gradually replace it.
Dr. Hanson emphasizes that this is not about covering up the negative. Rather, paradoxically, the more you take in the good, the more you’re able to see the bad and do something about it. It’s about taking control of the brain’s bias.
He recommends what he calls “the law of little things.” Ask yourself, “What’s the most important minute in your life?” The answer is, of course, the next one. The next minute, or moment, is all you can control. Thus, it’s a great opportunity for you. If you take care of the minutes–or moments–the years take care of themselves. And you’ll be transformed in the process.
Dr. Hanson ends with a cool Buddhist saying: Do not think lightly of good, saying “it will not come to me.” Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise ones, gathering it little by little, fills oneself with good.
Dr. Hanson states that “passing mental states become lasting neural traits.” Basically, neurons that fire together, wire together. The brain has a negative bias, probably due to its survival potential. That can leave you safe but unhappy. Finding ways to enhance the positive experiences, through training, can bring balance to the brain.
Basically he is asking you to let positive experiences persist in your awareness. From a neuroscience perspective, that means allowing the neurons to fire longer…together, creating a stronger neural network.
Here’s his easy HEAL acronym of 4 steps to remember to “take in the good”:
Have a good experience: You must activate it, to get it going.
Enrich the experience: This helps install it in your brain. Make it last; help it grow in your body; let it be increasingly intense. Give yourself over to it.
Absorb it: Sense and intend that it’s sinking into you.
Link positive to negative (optional step): Link the positive experience with something negative. Stay strong with the positive and gradually associate it with the negative. It’ll grow into the negative to calm and soothe it, even gradually replace it.
Dr. Hanson emphasizes that this is not about covering up the negative. Rather, paradoxically, the more you take in the good, the more you’re able to see the bad and do something about it. It’s about taking control of the brain’s bias.
He recommends what he calls “the law of little things.” Ask yourself, “What’s the most important minute in your life?” The answer is, of course, the next one. The next minute, or moment, is all you can control. Thus, it’s a great opportunity for you. If you take care of the minutes–or moments–the years take care of themselves. And you’ll be transformed in the process.
Dr. Hanson ends with a cool Buddhist saying: Do not think lightly of good, saying “it will not come to me.” Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise ones, gathering it little by little, fills oneself with good.
