I flew through the air last week. Not particularly with the greatest of ease, but I actually succeeded at transferring to a hand grab and have the video to prove it! This week I’ve been processing what really happened for me on that trapeze. What I conclude is probably different than what you might expect.
My belief is that we create our realities in order to have an experience. I’ve been mulling over this week just what was the experience? What did it mean to me? What was being communicated to me from my Higher Self ?
(My friend, Tricia, and I also jumped out of a plane last fall.)
On the physical front I got really sore, not the day afterward as everyone told me would happen, but two, three, and even four days later my chest, biceps, triceps and abs were screaming! It was physically challenging to hold the bar high just before take off, to hook my legs over the bar, and to curl back up to grab the bar during the practice runs. But, I’ve challenged my body a number of times and this didn’t feel like it was “the experience” I was there to have.
Emotionally, I have a fear of heights, especially when I am standing on the edge of a drop off. Climbing up the ladder, climbing onto the platform and then standing on the edge holding a heavy bar all stimulated wild amounts of adrenaline coursing through my body. Again, I’ve faced down this fear a number of times on ropes courses and so this also didn’t feel like “it.”
Spiritually I didn’t find a connection. I thought I would really enjoy the feeling of flight and feel free like a bird. However, the actuality is that I was so focused on trying to execute the movements as they were being called up to me that I was hardly aware that I was in flight! And, I think this is the insight that I’m looking for.
Every part of my mental energy was focused on getting the movement patterns in place to create the perfect timing in order to perform the final trick. With each practice run I would feel the adrenaline of the physical and emotional challenge, and also that of moving myself forward towards the final goal. I was on assignment!
It’s not that I didn’t have fun, because I did. And the staff at Trapeze Austin was excellent in maintaining a focus on the end goal and moving me toward it with wonderfully positive reinforcement.
What I realize, however, is that I am in my zone of excellence (ala Gay Hendricks, The Big Leap) when I am goal oriented. I stay mentally focused on the goal, using a mentally oriented structure to consistently move forward and I usually achieve success. Nothing wrong with that, except, that I am now more interested in being / living in my zone of genius. I perceive my zone of genius shows up when I am taking action from a place of excitement and passion. I want to be passionately engaged in each moment; not doing things because of where they will take me (or my biz), but because they are exciting, fun and inspire my genius. I want to be/live/work from this feeling place rather than being mentally driven.
The question becomes, how to be/live/work from excitement and passion without creating mental structure and goals about doing so? A funny conundrum!
If you like to play with improving your understanding and interpretation of the guidance you constantly receive (whether you know it or not) from your Higher Self, please join me in Resourcing the Riches of Your Higher Self teleclass beginning on Tuesday, March 23 at 4:00 CT.
Comment on these questions and receive a 50% discount for the class:
- What is your zone of genius?
- How is it different than your zone of excellence?