It’s all about the process
Hiking in the Himalayas was a dream come true. It was also very challenging at times, like when, at the end of a day when we’d already walked 12 miles, we had to gain another 2000ft of elevation over 2.5 miles. We were already at 9000ft of elevation, and on a dusty, rocky path. During those times, what worked best for me was a kind of meditation technique—I found a rhythm between steps and breathing that I could keep up, often in on one step, out on the next. And I counted my steps, but only up to ten, and then started over. It kept me in the moment, concentrating only on the current breath, the current step.
Anyone who’s tried any kind of meditation knows it’s can be very challenging. I’ve been trying to do seated meditation every day, and 9 minutes seems to be the maximum time I can manage right now. Even then, I have a lot of trouble bringing my mind back to my breath, away from all my To Dos for the day, changes I want to make to my novel, knitting projects I want to start.
The very first time I meditated as an adult, the instructor Sharon Salzberg, said something like, “The practice is not keeping your mind only on your breath. The practice is bringing your mind back to your breath.” I love this, because it means the moments that feel like failure, the moments you realize your mind has wandered, those are the most important moments of the practice.
One of the Crossfit coaches at my gym posted about some research that shows people get the most effective workouts when they are in the moment, in a flow state, thinking about nothing but the movement they are currently doing.
We, as humans, are not very good at that, and I am one of the worst.
I think it applies beyond the physical, though. Life is much more enjoyable when you can find meaning in the process of what you’re doing rather than the outcome. We all want outcomes, of course, to climb that mountain, to get in better shape, to finish a novel, but the outcome is only a moment in time, and the process is life.
The biggest breakthrough I ever had in my own life was realizing that I would find it worthwhile to spend the rest of my days writing even if I never got published, and that freed me to write without too much fear or anticipation of the outcome.
I’ve been volunteering on Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign, and what keeps me from worrying about the outcome (too much) is the process—the process of volunteering, meeting like-minded people, building political organization in my community. Also believing that the process of Warren running is a good in and of itself, because she is so inspiring, because her ideas represent the future I want for our country. I very much hope she wins, but I think the process is worth it either way. And I will work hard to support whoever the nominee is, of course.
The outcomes can be wonderful, though. Just look at these mountains!
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I’ll be in Washington DC on Feb 21 to help my friend Carrie Callaghan promote her new book Salt the Snow, and talk about writing historical fiction with her. Please come if you can!
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Vikings settled Iceland 1000 years ago, forming Europe's first democracy. We need democracy now more than ever. Donate $20 or more to Stacey Abrams's FairFight.com or other Voting Rights organization and I will send you a signed, personalized copy of THE HALF-DROWNED KING, a novel about Vikings. Reply to this email to set it up.
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