The Gift of Singularity

Freedom…unfettered, unhindered, not bound by constraints. Watching a child at play we gain insight into this beautiful gift of unchecked freedom. Born with this infant gift of liberty we run, dance, perform, with no concern of what others think of us. Everything within us flows in one stream – a coordinated singular current. As we progress through the various stages of childhood, adolescence and into adulthood, the freedom we once knew often becomes a stifled trickle. Erosion of confidence creates an inner conflict, the duality of intrinsic desire against the sense of needing to conform to extrinsic standards, whether they be societal, moralistic, imposed by authority figures and peers etc. This internal conflict has the effect of replacing the singular flow of emotion, action and purpose with that of obstruction. Musicians, athletes, artists, business leaders, dancers, chefs - to name a few, understand the need to recapture the essence of singularity. Without it they know they will never get to elite levels. For others, performing the simple tasks of the day or learning a new discipline, they know the importance of being fully present in the moment, focused and unimpeded by external or internal conflict. Here are some areas to consider in your quest for maximising singularity. Being Present Slowing down, centering ourselves in the moment, being fully aware of what is happening around us assists in achieving freedom in the present. The discipline of scheduling agenda items till a later time is essential Small Goals Not just the longer term outcomes we want to achieve but what are our important shorter term goals? It might be the floors washed in the morning, to master four particular bars of music in the practice session or to read a chapter of the book tonight that we've been meaning to get to. These small accomplishments create ascending platforms of achievement that confidence and self esteem are built upon, providing the ongoing impetus, motivation and momentum in tackling increased feats of difficulty. Stress All of us deal with the push and pull of daily life. Stress is the result of our attachment and internal reactions to external situations. If we allow ourselves to be attached to these external circumstances and essentially pull them into ourselves, this gift of singularity becomes conflicting double mindedness. Identifying the source of our stress, approaching it rationally and actioning that which is within our power to do, puts the control back into our court. Finances are a good example. Many people stress over bills and the ‘what if the car breaks down?’ The simple act of scheduling a weekly time to do your finances helps maintain control, alleviating the stress that comes when our heads are in the sand. Focus Without focus, effort and concentration is dissipated. Being fully present, having small achievable short term goals and a lack of stress results in singularity of purpose. Taking this one step further, exercising full concentration at the time, limiting external distractions such as email and phone calls assists in this singularity of purpose and progress. Freedom…it’s up to us to regain it. Run, play, learn, achieve, have fun. No one else will do it for you and as my dance teacher constantly reminds me, “your muscles know what they’re doing, your brain just gets in the way.”