Listen only.

Eyes shut, lights off, mouth closed, earphones in, music on. It is the only way to listen. A couple of years ago, when my pursuit of hockey took me away from home and into multiple, diverse, living arrangements one constant habit followed me faithfully. On most nights I would lay awake in bed, frozen & motionless, armed only with my headphones and ipod or laptop and a select play list of nominated musical selections. I would create my own theatre and this forum would act as my escape, a refuge for my thought and only that, spared from distraction. I credit this habit for a hearty increase in musical appreciation and overall enjoyment on my part. But it was also when in this world, that I developed and understood the beauty of selective singularity amongst the senses.

We exist in a realm of distraction. Those who navigate most effectively understand this and are masters at self-direction, discipline and organization. In every task, whether assigned or volunteered we subconsciously manage and delegate our attention to a myriad of functions be they mental, physical or emotional. Take the undervalued sense of listening in this example. When you listen to a song on the radio in your car, the music itself is actually very low on your current list of priorities; I not need to list them. In a concert, visual aids and cues abound in every direction whisking away your focus and train of thought with every flash and effect, the sound simply runs in a complimentary role to the entire production. But isolate the ear, separate sound from sight, taste, smell, touch and scent and then and only then can one truly immerse himself or herself in the intended product of the artist.

Stevie Wonder is renowned for having one of the most musically trained ears in the world. He is indisputably brilliant in dissecting notes, chords and pitch. It also is no surprise that he attributes his loss of sight to his innate ability to understand and hear every component of a musical piece. Although crude, one less sense to worry about will only make the others more trained and keen. This is hardly a new concept, as it is well known that be one deaf, blind or mute, the sacrifice of a sense only lends additional complexity and strength to the others.  

The same goes for enjoying a taste of wine or bite of filet with ones eyes shut. One needs not a handicap to enjoy the perks of sensory isolation. But in the waning moments of my day, when I can in essence turn the world off, is when every chord sounds more distinguished, instrument accentuated and vocal tone defined. There is great benefit in restricting oneself from spreading his or hers concentration too thin amongst the senses. When I read, I try to do so in the same manner, void of sound and of any other distractions as possible. It is then only that I truly feel that I am capturing the intended content of the author. Granted, I do not sit in a restaurant with my eyes closed, but to that I argue if you are dining out, correctly, the food is only part of the intended experience.

I am raving about this small, subtle thought only because the difference to me in sensory experience is so distinct. When I have the ability and fortune to be able to restrict myself to only listen, is when I am able to hear the entire essence and message of artist in full. Furthermore any thoughts I conjure I do so with enhanced detail and reflections pondered with only heightened clarity. The world we exist in will never cease to provide us with more than enough for our senses to digest. And as attractive as that may be, and sound, and smell and feel, perhaps there can be greater appreciation and enjoyment found in less. Rather than spreading our cognitive capacities abreast like butter on toast, we should restrict content absorbed and devote heightened focus, pressure and meditation to only the select. For if this strategy can form diamonds in rock, shouldn’t the possibilities for our minds and bodies be equally promising? 

Running on Results

I struggle to enjoy the things I am horrible at. I credit this to a psychotic level of competitiveness I harbor within me, as well as having the often delusional confidence that I should be great at something, despite having little to no experience in it. On the flip side, I love things in which I am successful in. Few emotional rifts can rival the sensation of not only being good, but even great at something, and knowing it. It is this sensation which acts as the proverbial carrot dangling in front of our noses as we throw ourselves into any type of sport, event or activity in which the intended goal is to improve. The road to this desired level of success and confidence though is often littered with obstacles, physical and mental. Many can not handle its terrain and turn back or abandon the quest for a myriad of reasons and explanations. We have all witnessed this in various components of life, and the odds are great that we are all guilty of this unintended habit on more than one occasion. 

Today I was in the gym working on my leg strength. Anyone who knows me and my physical stature knows my lower body is an area I could probably afford to devote more attention. Unfortunately doing legs in the gym is an incredible pain in the ass. Why? Results. When we endeavour at something and exert a great deal of time and effort to a task without seeing positive gains the resulting emotional stew is often one of frustration, anger and severe questioning if the hassle is even worth it. Lack of results is why we quit sports, school, jobs, hobbies, relationships and so on. Comparatively, the presence of positive results is why we stick with all the same things. Human nature dictates a strong desire to know that the things we commit ourselves to are indeed 'worth it' and beneficial to our existence. When something does not quench our thirst for feedback, rather than working even harder, it is so much more convenient to pull the chute and move on to the next challenge. With leg exercises I'd be lying if I said I have never contemplated abandoning them completely, unfortunately this would spell disaster when your occupation depends on athletic conditioning. 

Results can exist in infinite ways. Comments, grades, emotions, appreciation, goals, awards, and so on. We all understand and know what would make us feel good and these desires vary with every single one of us. Some enjoy accolades, some thrive off of respect from peers and others might be satisfied by hitting individual goals. The challenge is finding enough results to fuel our continued passion in these disciplines and a drive to continue in them. In whatever form they might be. 

Positive reinforcement or feedback makes anyone feel great. It is no secret that the potential and performance of someone is much more effectively enhanced when infused with positive reinforcement rather than negative criticism. The problem often for many is the lack of this luxury and I believe this attributes greatly to the failures or resignations of people in all types of aforementioned endeavors. With my hockey career, I would not be playing still if I had not received positive accolades and encouragement. To support this theory I bring to light the numerous other sports I chose not to pursue, and honestly in hindsight it was because I was not as strong in them as in hockey. Or take this blog for example. If I was an awful writer, and people told me how poor my skills and talents were in this literary forum, do you think I would keep publishing? Probably not. Rather I would devote my efforts and time to something I felt more confident and fulfilled in doing, maybe an instrument or social service, who knows. Is this behavior healthy or correct? That's debatable, but for me, it's who I am and how I am and I can accept and embrace my tendencies when it leads to more successful enterprises in the long run. We all can, and we all do. 

Compliment others. This is a reoccurring theme that has surfaced many times in many different books that I have read. Make others feel good about themselves and they will hold you in a higher light. I'll admit my application and practice of this habit has been slow and premature at times but it is a discipline I am working at to improve in. This topic is the perfect canvas to utilize this popular advice and I believe if more people understood and implemented it we would see a population with increased drive, confidence and capability moving forward. We love results, of the positive variety. Whose to say we can't use one another to encourage and motivate to garner them. It is a natural tool whose applications are endless and its required effort so minute. Envision for a second what a compliment or two would do for you in a discipline in which you devote a great amount of time & effort? For me, compliments equal encouragement and encouragement makes me exponentially more confident and inspired to push myself further in the passions in which I excel. Try it, or better yet try to capture and memorize the way the next compliment you receive makes you feel, few things are better. 

I am not justifying that people should only do things in which they are strong. Everything we do and throw ourselves at was new and challenging at some point. But the beauty here is WHY we choose to stick with select passions. To undergo the hardships and the occasions when we didn't feel so great, our confidence dwindled and we considered if it was really worth it. Every ones reasons are different. Yet I theorize that all contained some type of positive reinforcement along the way yielding positive results that propelled us onward and upward. If we all looked back on the choices we made in what to devote ourselves to I believe the activities and disciplines we chose are the ones in which we received the most positive encouragement and motivating feedback. In contrast, review the instances where you gave up on a hobby, perhaps where you cited a "Lack of interest" or "decrease in satisfaction" and really examine the level of positive reinforcement you received. I'm willing to wager that it wasn't much. 

 From the five year old on the soccer field to the thirty five year old in the board room, a pat on the back and "great job" will always have the same effects in motivation and encouragement. Results are defined per individual. And whether it is a global accolade or recognition from a friend, both can have incredibly positive effects in pushing someone to keep up the good work. If we all commit to creating more results and markers in any conceivable form for one another I have no doubt as a collective whole our passions will grow, our efforts will thrive and confidence flourish in every conceivable discipline or path that we so choose. 

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my mind. Feedback is always encouraged. 

Second Servings

Throughout my time in Australia last year I constantly was reinforcing the notion that I needed to absorb and enjoy every spec of this country that I could because the odds were slim I would ever be back. At least for a while. So with every adventure, beach, land mass, reef and historical sight, I clicked hundreds of photos, determined to attack the sights and sounds with the tenacity of a stereotypical uber-tourist. The result was a photo collection I will cherish for the remainder of my life, but in review, I felt that although the pictures might show a grandiose journey, that I failed to really extract the essence of the country. I felt like a food critic on iron chef, willing myself to enjoy every culinary creation as much as possible while constantly fighting the anxiety and attraction of the next dish in line. My initial excitement and 'awe' of being in a foreign land I felt at times would trump the pure enjoyment and experience of certain occasions. 

The saying goes that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression, but if the first impression is great, does that guarantee infinite satisfaction in the following encounters? At what point does our satisfaction peak ? In college economics we learned of utility, or marginal satisfaction, where ones level of enjoyment or gratification follows a parabola of enjoyment, rising and then eventually falling with over-consumption. Furthermore, this effect is particularly measurable with food, or a movie, but what about a extended tangible experience such as travel? In this instance, the Australian continent. A concern of mine before returning was would I truly enjoy and appreciate this voyage as a sequel as much as I had the first time, or would it be old hat, routine and unoriginal to my senses and aspirations. I booked a ticket and decided to find out. 

A couple hundred miles south of Sydney on the southeast coast of Australia lies Murramurang National Park. Centered on historical holy lands of the aboriginal tribes this preserved virgin coastline and towering coastal eucalyptus forests remain relatively untouched from public probes. Last year I made the trip down from Canberra numerous times to explore and chart new beaches and enclaves, finding extreme samples of beauty in their most natural form and this happened time after time. I couldn't get enough. I had discovered Pretty Beach along with my then girlfriend Michelle and we were unanimous in declaring it the jewel of our journeys. Yesterday was the first time I returned and as we drove, my good friend Sean co-piloted our 1989 Toyota Tourago Van, I was curious to if the sights and beauty that I knew so well from last year would remain and flourish as I remembered. It absolutely did. 

Pretty Beach was arguably the most impressive find of my travels last year. With a sequestered cove of crystal clear aqua water, divine silica beaches and stunning coastal rock formations a traveler can not ask for more. Kangaroo packs sit grazing in the surrounding grasslands, indifferent to visitors. A few hundred feet off the beach sits a rocky sea-life burgeoning island accessible between tides and the absolute tipping point in the deal is that on more times than not, one can enjoy such a sublime setting without another human soul in sight. 

As I walked the beach and swam in the crisp waters, scaling familiar rock formations and admiring in the same I could sense my love of this place only growing. For me, the ocean was a little more blue, the trees more vibrant shades of greens, the sun glowed a tad brighter and the sand crunched just a bit nicer under my feet. Pretty Beach may have made a wonderful first impression, but it was it's incredible consistency and ability to deliver the same goods and then some, a year apart that really cemented it as a love of mine, as far as locales go. Of course I still was joined by my camera, yet instead of snapping photos in an attempt to capture and hold every spec of splendor, this time I was relaxed and free to appreciate all the glory the landscape had to offer. And I still took too many pictures! 

Yesterdays trip revitalized my enjoyment of being back in Australia. It excited and inspired me to not waste this experience. I am confident that combined with the knowledge acquired last year, and experience, that I can really enjoy this land mass and evoke even more satisfaction from it this time around. Consistency is an extremely underrated component of emotional enjoyment. Why do we return to our favorite restaurants? Because they consistently deliver the finest in quality goods and services. From those we find comfort in knowing exactly what to expect. When we are comfortable and relaxed, we open ourselves up to only enhanced and exaggerated enjoyment. That is where I am at in Australia in 2010. I am relaxed, I know how beautiful and captivating this place can be, I've seen it. And from this I can not wait to live the satisfaction brought to me yesterday in Murramurang, over and over from Sydney to Melbourne, up to Cairns and down to the Gold Coast. Australia succeeded in branding within me a fantastic first impression, but it's the second that I believe will really seal the deal.  

Stratosphere Strategy

If I could spend one hour a day, somewhere between thirty and thirty five thousand feet, I truly believe my productivity, imagination and clarity in life would improve exponentially. I love to fly. I love the vantage point of it all, surveying miniature landscapes, frozen in appearance, peaceful and surreal. The colors seem brighter, the weather phenomena entrancing and just the process of flight has always had a special effect on my mind and soul. Yet a unrecognized and under appreciated trait of flying only began to become more obvious to me in the past year or so. I love to think when in the air. Something in my mind activates, doors typically closed to thought and curiosities are blown open, ideas pour in and unfurl like a snowball down a mountain. I have planned my life many times from a window seat in the past five years and the trend seems sure to continue. 

But why is it that a often cramped, leg restricting, belted, lumbar lacking  seat can provide the necessary medium for so many fresh and invigorating thoughts? Is it the purified oxygen pumping aggressively through the cabin, feeding the mind ? Perhaps it is the consistency of the engine noise setting the tone for the journey? It very well could be the powerful panoramic scenes slipping silently beneath the wings, or even something as trivial as the honey roasted, scratch that, now salted peanuts. Whatever the source, the aforementioned ingredients of flying blend melodiously perfect for me and my cerebral capabilities. 

I suspect many great events have been directly planned or influenced while in aerial transition. Every global leader flies countless miles annually. Globalization of the worlds business scheme has demanded more and more corporate Goliath's to take to the skies. Sports executives, agents, and athletes travel incredible distances to negotiate and barter, all before the first play. The symmetrical examples are infinite. And then there is me, a twenty six year old vagabond semi-professional hockey player with developing business aspirations who with every take off and ascent feels oddly more driven, focused and creative with no solid reasoning to explain. Flying just does it for me. 

Whatever the scientific explanation is, if one does exist, it is of little importance. I will continue to embrace and utilize my time in the skies, applying it's altitude induced benefits to every text, spreadsheet, Venn diagram or life outline I may contrive. Where others might feel fear & unease, I find solace and view life and it's questions with a new sense of lucidity. The miracle of flight has always been there in helping me reach my desired destinations. It has also taken me to some great places as well.