Focus on Connecting Until Success

When you look at an approaching tennis ball, ideally you not only need to see it but you need to track it to your tennis racket. Roger Federer recently “missed” a ball on match point in Madrid, Spain because among other issues, he didn’t track it all the way to his racket. Similarly when trying to appreciate an experience, whether its a good book, a photograph, a drive or a phone call from someone you care about, have your “presence” travel from the start to the conclusion.

Is the home run more enjoyable at the start when hearing the crack of the bat on the ball at contact or is it seeing the fan catching the ball in the stands? How about seeing and tracking that ball on the slow motion replay? When reading, are you only looking for the conclusion or are you appreciating each paragraph that builds up the conclusion? The sunrise on a drive to work in the morning is worth seeing and tracking as it will not be there later.

We all learn to consistently look both ways before crossing an intersection. The child who runs without looking both ways has the zone of present joy in their hands and feet but is not seeing or tracking as well as adults yet.

Running is fun and enjoyable for children through adults. As we run, traveling with presence is needed because greatness is not necessarily hitting whats in front of us. Greatness sometimes require we miss whats in front of us. Lets improve upon what we see and track. Safe cultivation comes first.