Taking A Moment
January 20, 2009
Today, I think of my dog, Winston, who often pauses from licking his paw or some other less mentionable body part and looks off into the middle distance (of our living room) and takes a moment. From the look on his face I assume he is either reflecting on some majestic dog memory or more likely, he is just taking a moment. By that I mean, he takes notice of no more than this moment right now; feeling the air on his nose, the comfort of his home , the fullness of his belly and the underrated, often overlooked magnificence of this passing minute.
Today I think many of us took a moment, a long overdue moment, as we watched our new president being sworn in, along with millions of Americans standing in the freezing cold of our nation’s capitol. I like to think we were all in the zone. Meaning we were all aware of being united in a moment of historical transcendence.
In fitness I refer to it as the ZONE and the best way I can describe the ZONE is to say that the ZONE is the flowing part of any journey. And really the journey is the best part, not the getting there. The getting there is overrated. Ask anyone who has recently retired. The journey is where “in the zone” resides.
There are several components to the ZONE and it all starts with having a goal, a clear goal. For many of us watching this morning, our clear goal was CHANGE. We all wanted change.
The next requirement for feeling the Zone is feeling at one with our actions (or in this morning’s case, at one with our vote), otherwise known as fusion of mind and body.
Third we all have to listen to ourselves. Exercise-wise, this means if something hurts when you jog, then you stop jogging until you it doesn’t hurt. It’s called listening to your body. Listen. It’s that simple.
Next is concentration. To get in the Zone requires focus on the task at hand.
Also a sense of control is important, meaning you feel in command of what is happening and that we have the resources we need to move forward.
Next, it’s important to lose your sense of self-consciousness. Don’t be afraid to feel free and uninhibited. Get crazy.
Finally, be on the lookout for JOY. It’s known as an autotelic experience. Often times, you will find it in the simplest daily happenings,like a sunset, a bird at a feeder or the way the snowflakes land on your window, but you have to be watching for it.
If all of these components are present, then you will experience a sense of transcending time, which is exactly what the ZONE is.
Ask anyone who’s a winning athlete and they will describe a moment of timelessness. This is the Zone.
Before now, I’ve always talked about being in the Zone from a fitness angle, but from my experience this morning, I am hoping that we all can connect with (and stay in) a bigger Zone. The Zone of brighter times for America where we all can better sense what “enjoying the journey” means.
After all the journey is the best part of it all. And today was the first leg of the trip.
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