One of the earlier posts, "Noticing Noticing: Learning to Learn" explored the general steps of how people learn any skill as they approach a level of 'Mastery'. "Pondering the Particularities of Precision" entered into what actually happens when one 'improves' their ability at a particular skill. The underlying idea being that 'precision' within the variables of an activity is how we classify anything as being done well. If precision is the characteristic of things done well, as a counterpoint, "Precisely: What I was Thinking" offered 'clumsiness' as the characteristic at the opposite end of the spectrum. This article also started to introduce the role awareness plays in performing precisely. Next "Clumsiness and Climbing Castles" united the steps of learning with the idea of clumsiness and precision to form what I've coined as 'The learning Lens' and a metaphor for achieving mastery.
Next, "A Look at Systems Through the Learning Lens" took a step back in order to introduce the idea of how we tend to look at 'The System', or universe, in 'layers'. This then led into "Looking at Layers: The Power of Perception" which attempted to demonstrate how our perception of the 'layers' is a result of our 'relative perspective' and the tools we use to observe the different parts of the system. The most important idea it brought up was that our relationship with each of the 'layers' is an opportunity to apply 'the learning lens' in order to foster increasingly precise interactions with that level of the system. Next then, "An Inner Model Out There" started to take a specific look at the layers of the system that actually exist inside of our mind, and how it's possible and especially important to foster an increasingly precise relationship with these levels. "Getting in the Zone: Somewhere Between the Ears" presented the idea of 'the zone', how it relates to precision, and what is going on when one is actually in 'the zone'. Also, it introduced the most significant obstacle to precision, 'the ego'. "Battling the Brainstem" offered a brief explanation of the source of ego and how on the global scale people have decided to actively limit its' role in society. Most recently "Stuck in the Middle with You" attempted to more precisely point out ways that ego voices its' influence on us and how that impedes our ability to perform precisely on both the short and long term.
The next layers we encounter after those associated with the mind are those related to the body. Now, the body cannot be properly understood if looked at as one whole in and of itself. The body has many layers and each level requires specific awareness and action in order to foster a precise and healthy relationship with it. Basically the body is made up of a series of systems: skeletal, nervous, cardiovascular/respiratory, endocrine, and organ systems (digestive, urinal, reproductive, skin). Each of the subsystems affect each other. If one system is out of whack, it's almost impossible for the others to be in precise health.
For example I participated in a lot of sports growing up, and especially basketball. Basketball is a fast paced sport that really puts a lot of wear and tear on a body. Over the years, the subsystem of mine that took the most damage was my skeleton and especially in my lower spine. At one point, my spine was so out of alignment, it started pinching nerves in my lower back making it hard to even move at times. For a few years, I took long breaks from high impact sports and picked up less active hobbies thinking that time would heal me. Every couple of months, I would feel alright and go out to play a pick up game or go for a run. Time and time again it would cause my back to lock up for days in a row. Often, I wouldn't even be able to walk.
Finally, I decided to seek help from a chiropractor. Essentially, chiropractors make physical adjustments to the skeletal structure. This proved to relieve unnecessary pressure on my nervous system. However, here's the catch. My spine had been out of alignment for quite a while. During that period I spent a lot of time working out anyway, which caused my muscular system to grow over top my crooked spine. Simple spinal adjustments weren't enough on their own because my muscles would eventually pull my spine back to the position that the muscular system had grown into. For me the best solution has been yoga in conjunction with spinal adjustments to address both issues. Working on multiple subsystems of the body has helped put my bones in more precise alignment (relieving pain) and given my muscles the ability to hold it there. However, with the body (and with all other levels of the system) precision isn't a destination so much as it is the way one does things in the present. No amount of precision today can guarantee it for tomorrow, next week, next year or the next decade.
With such a long introduction and recap, I'll keep the rest a bit short for today. The key idea here is that problems at one level unavoidably affect other levels as well. This is true on the purely physical side of things, but later we'll explore how issues can reach both into and from the mental levels as well. Not to mention there is also that old trickster, the ego, who can interfere with precision on any level. That, however, shall be a conversation for another time. Thank you as always for joining me. I greatly appreciate your time here and if you ever have a question, critique or observation, I would love to hear it.
