Shifting Focus

Lifting my Gaze 

Yesterday, I wrote a post about how a small shift during an e-bike ride—lifting my gaze from the ground right in front to the path ahead—made everything feel steadier, calmer, more manageable. Instead of looking down and reacting to every bump and rock (which, it turns out, was part of what was throwing me off), I looked farther out and found a rhythm. 
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​That “aha” moment led into a broader reflection and a metaphor: maybe we move through things more easily when we stop fixating on every bump and bruise along the way. 

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Staring at My Feet

​Today…that metaphor didn’t hold. Not even a little!!
Today was a hike. A steep descent. Wet rocks, moss, roots and mud—the kind of trail where you feel the consequences of a wrong-footed move. I’ve had a fall already on this trip, just not on something this treacherous. 
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In those steep descents and wet conditions, that wide, forward-looking gaze and perspective didn’t help in the same way. I couldn’t just look out and trust the path to sort itself out underneath me.

Rigidly staring straight down, narrowing my focus to the small area around my feet—reading the ground, seeing what might cause me to slip, ​I had to bring my attention in close--to detect loose or greasy rocks. Deliberate steps. Every foothold tested.

• To find momentum on the e-bike, I needed the distant view gaze.
• On todays hike, I needed traction. 

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Looking far and near 

So the metaphor from yesterday didn’t apply here.

• On the bike, looking ahead kept me balanced.
• On the trail, looking down kept me upright.

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Maybe that’s the real takeaway: there isn’t just one way through a challenge.

• Sometimes you need the long view to keep moving forward
• ​Other times, all that matters is the very next step—just staying upright, steady.

​Where you focus shifts, too. There are moments to look far ahead, to find direction and rhythm—and moments to keep your eyes close, grounded in what’s immediately underfoot.

Because different terrain asks for different ways of paying attention.

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With muddy shoes,
Coach Minda

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