We naturally have an instinct for survival. Why don’t we trust that?
What is that super intense, expansive state of awareness that rushes in when things get dangerous? That natural clarity and the burst of adrenaline that gives you what you need to get out of a dangerous situation alive, and it comes free of thought. It’s already there, ready for action.
So, we have this lack of trust driven by a mind that is conditioned to protect ourselves.
We are so busy scanning for trouble that we invite it. It’s an attractive energy.
If we put ourselves in the firing line for difficulty, why are we then so surprised and resistant when things get difficult?
The one key ingredient that we go after in endurance sport is resilience. The problem is, we spend so much time mentally moving away from it through protective thoughts that it becomes elusive.
Resiliency is the measure of our ability to adapt to change. The more we try to find resilience in thought, the further we get from the real thing, because resilience is made of pure acceptance and instinct, not argument.
Instinct is a connection, a thought-bound brain is protection. Another word we can use for resilience is calmness.
Calmness is mastery.
You have to get to a point where your focus and level of presence doesn’t change based on the movement in the field, other competitors, environmental conditions or even your own thoughts.
To get to a point where your thoughts don’t overpower your own instinctual intelligence.
When we capitulate to the mind and let the story run the show, we go looking for trouble. Where the mind is concerned, the trouble is already looking for you.
The trouble isn’t out there, it’s in there with you!
All you have to do is refuse to entertain it. Stop trying to calm the storm, calm yourself and the storm will pass.
Gilesy