: Fantasy :
Posted: May 26, 2015 Filed under: Kindness, Meditation, Mindfulness, Yoga | Tags: blogging, Body Image, compassion, Compitition, cycling, happiness, health, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, motivation, natural, nature, Omaha, passion, pilates, running, Seva, trail running, writing, yoga, Zen 4 CommentsGaze into the fire, into the clouds, and as soon as the inner voices begin to speak… surrender to them. Don’t ask first whether it’s permitted, or would please your teachers or father or some god. You will ruin yourself if you do that-
There are many misconceptions about the role “results” play in achieving our goals (whatever they may be.)
We should define a couple of words before we move on – outcome and process. An outcome is centered on results, beating others and posting it on social media. A process involves focusing on what we need to do perform our very best, such as how we prepare and nurture our souls, training, or even practicing mindfulness. Notice how an outcome is focused on “things” outside of you. While in contrast, a process is focused entirely on you?
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Most of us think that (myself included at times), in order to get the results we want, we need to focus on those results. Wanna get better at yoga? Gotta be more flexible! Loose a few pounds before summer begins … When does the outcome of a competition occur? At the end of course. If we become obsessed on the outcome, we are not focused on the process – What we need to do to perform our best from the start to the finish. What makes you nervous before yoga class or a big ride, the process or the outcome? It’s the outcome, and more specifically, a bad outcome such as not performing well or tumbling over trying to reach your “peak” pose. When we focus on the outcome, we are far less likely to get the outcome we want.
When we pause to focus on the process, we increase the chances of achieving the results we so richly deserve.
Daily Meditation:
Sometimes, I can’t shift my heart from the outcome to process, the best thing I can do when this happens, is to get out of my mind completely. In other words, I go for an early morning walk, bike ride, or like yesterday morning – yoga practice in a quiet park. These moments gently take me from thinking about the outcome to, feeling the process.
CultFit 
When I think about what gives me anxiety, it’s usually the process…the getting-to-the-airport, not the already being at the airport and waiting for security screening or boarding time.
When one has a goal or a task to complete, being results-focused can open up the process to whatever it needs to involve to meet that goal. Do you suppose when the outcome is to produce a thing, actually make something, attention unconsciously switches to whatever it takes to get it done (within reason and legal fine print). On the other hand, when the outcome is to acquire a thing, a state of mind, or literally to arrive some place, attention must apply to the steps as well as the finish line?
“Make sure you’re drinking enough water!”
“Don’t over shoot the landing!”
I’ll point out one subtle word that often gets overlooked during the “process” – Being. Simply being in the moment, aware of the beautiful world around us. It may not seem that way as we hurry off to the airport or struggle during yoga class. If we change up Outcome and Process with Mindfulness and Awareness we can create a subtle, gentle shift in our hearts that is beyond words. Awareness tells us that security screening sucks, yet Mindfulness brings us back to simply being 🙂
I hope you are having a beautiful morning – Take care and be well!
Ooo. This one is a keeper.
When I began my Mysore practice, I was eager to do all the primary series and reach my friggin headstand. I wrote about that first day in class where I was only allowed to do 5 salutations A and 5 salutations B then the last three Padmasana poses… I thought my heart bled lol. But it was my ego telling me to rush into it.
It’s always about the journey not the destination, isnt’t it? When we trust where we are going, it doesn’t really matter how long it takes.
Though at times… … oh, never mind! 😉