Focus

Focus has always been an issue for me...hey, wanna go ride bikes?

Kidding, but not really. My days are packed with activities ranging from one side of the brain to the other. I am crunching numbers, working out new pad designs, writing and editing code for the website, and shaping new climbing holds. I almost feel like I might just spin out of control and fall off the side of the earth sometimes. The funny thing is this is who I have always been. I like to keep it interesting. Most of the time, when I'm not driving others completely bonkers with my erratic behaviors, it works.

When I'm sitting under a boulder, it can sometimes be a problem, no pun intended. This is when I have to pull it all together, one-pointed concentration. My mind can't be on my professional projects, the beautifully clouded sky, or sound of the wind. It has to be right here, in the moment, below the boulder.

Ever been up on a problem and all you can hear is your peeps cheering for you? All of a sudden your mind transports from the rock to their point-of-view of you climbing? Not a good place to be; I know from experience.

To deal with my "issues" in a more proactive way, I have been attending a meditation class once a week. We do sitting meditation for 20 minutes, then walking meditation for 20 minutes, then we sit for another 20. When I first pondered this venture, I about freaked out. "Doing nothing for 60 minutes, no freakin' way."

Unbelievably, it work. We are encouraged to sit and think about our breath. "I am breathing in, I am breathing out." Yeah, it's tough at first, and I am constantly having to call myself back. But given enough practice, it works.

These days I sit under boulder problems and in about 3 breaths I am in the moment. It hasn't help me climb V12 yet, but maybe some day. In the meantime, the peace I get from those moments are totally worth it.

Focus can be good thing, wanna play Guitar Hero?