To Hang or to Stretch

To Hang or to Stretch

The attendant is giving the emergency instructions. Exits are here, oxygen masks are there. Floatation devices are under the seats. Not wanting to appear elite, I always follow along and pretend to look at the emergency guide while the attendant demonstrates all the particulars. My assumption was always that if there was going to be water involved, no one was going to survive. That theory has just been refuted by the amazing crash landing of US Airways flight 1549 into the Hudson River, in which there were no fatalities. The pilot Chesley Sullenberger, not only gave the world a lesson in great aeronautical skills, but also a lesson in the art of concentration. How good was the landing? The passengers did not know that they had crash landed in water.

When asked about the incredible feat, Sullenberger said he was “just doing my job”, perhaps the understatement of the year. The real lesson was his ability to focus on the task at hand and make life saving decisions. The control tower advised him to land at either one of two airports but Sullenberger felt that both choices involved too much risk for people on the ground, and so he decided to land in the river, a feat that has only been done once without a fatality.

I will confess to being very distracted lately, making this a particularly important story for me. Maybe I’m always distracted just more so. In fact, it seems like most of my life is spent with my body in one place and my mind in another, forever in a state of waiting. We know at least two things about Sullenberger; he did not wait for anything and he wasn’t distracted. This was a courageous act, but not a mindless one, such as rushing into battle with all guns blazing. It was one-pointed focus during a life threatening situation, something that few of us will ever confront.

 It has been my experience that my happiest moments are the result of an accomplishment, and this relies on moments of great focus. My goal then, is to find ways to focus better, leading to accomplishments and happiness. In the book Happier, Tal Ben-Shaharthe suggests that what makes people happy is the cycle of having goals and achieving them; it leads to moments of happiness which happens in cycles. The trick is to keep growing new and manageable goals. How do we achieve the focus that leads to success, and what is the effect? For me, there are certain hobbies and pursuits that may lead to moments of focus and the payoff between focus and distraction is exponential. Days and weeks of distraction can be cleansed by just a few seconds of total focus. The trick is to put yourself in a position to achieve this state. Athletes certainly have the opportunity, but what about the average person on the street, working 9 to 5? How do they work that into the day?

I believe there needs to be something at stake in order to achieve real focus; a bit of predator and prey. To chase or to be chased may be the single most effective way to achieve concentration. Deadlines can also promote high levels of concentration; or panic. The trick is to find what works for each of us, safe activities that can test our clarity. I have found great opportunities for concentration in sports, but I’m getting older and so I’ve taken up yoga as a new challenge. One definition of Yoga is “skill in action”, certainly a worthy goal.  Sullenberger wasn’t out looking for a life bending experience but when it came, he responded; a great example of skill in action.

Finally, playing chicken with a train may be a good way to achieve focus but can lead to death and destruction. Gambling is another activity which focuses the mind but leaves a trail of tears. Then again, there is always the fallback position of Samuel Johnson who said “there’s nothing like a hanging in the morning to focus a man’s thoughts”.

Thank You

Ron Brown