What Ben Curnett said … about the Ultra-Marathon of Reflection

A community isn’t built or befriended,
it’s connected by offering and accepting.
Community is affinity, identity, and kinship
that make room for ideas, thoughts, and solutions.
Wherever a community gathers, we aspire and inspire each other intentionally . . . And our words shine with authenticity.

What is the ultra-marathon of reflection?

It seems the best of us are searching for bandwidth … the time — at the same moment when we have the energy — to pull our best, long, deep thoughts together. The luxury of expanding into our work, our lives, and our dreams with that focus too often escapes us in the noise.

Pamir Kiciman ( @gassho )wrote Watering Ideas at the Reflecting Pool about how to reach out and into ourselves for it.

Here’s what Ben said . . .

Thank you for the post, Pamir.

It’s helpful for me to think of concentration as a muscle. It has a finite supply of work it can do before it gives out.

I can walk up one flight of stairs easily, but after 10, my legs are starting to burn. After 20, I have to stop and rest.

Likewise, I can concentrate on an idea. At first, the idea is powerful, and thoughts come naturally. Slowly, I lose interest and my mind wanders. It becomes harder and harder to focus on the idea, and eventually, I have to stop.

Your bullets for interiorizing the mind remind me of a workout. The more I train, the better my concentration becomes.

I’m curious as to what you might consider the upper limits of concentration. To use my metaphor (if you think it fits), what is the ultra-marathon of reflection?
Ben Curnett from a comment on January 26, 2010

A successful and outstanding blogger said that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss