A large theme in Buddhism is cultivating a one pointed mind. In bodybuilding, a one pointed mind is the key to allowing the body rather, than the mind, to take charge of when it needs to quit. I think of having a one pointed mind as being entirely encompassed in your present experience. You are in the Here and Now, you feel the moment, not one thought is taking away your attention from the current experience. Some call this a “flow state,” and when I enter this state in the gym, I begin to allocate my entire consciousness on what my body is feeling in each continuous moment. Although I physically see, hear and smell my surroundings, I am not consciously aware of the information being processed by those senses. I am strictly experiencing how my muscles are responding to the stimulus I present them with. This allows me to ignore any potential mental barriers, which lead to lower plateaus. Only by having this one-pointedness can I be sure that I am pushing my body beyond its current limitations.
I have noticed that the overwhelming majority of the plateaus I have experienced in bodybuilding are a result of a thought that I chose to embody. This thought would usually say something like “I can’t do another one” or “my forearms can not bear any more weight” or thinking about anything besides what I am experiencing in the current moment. After eliminating those thoughts, the only thing that is capable of getting me to put the weight down is the physical failure of the muscle I am training. That is my goal, that is the instance I feel like I’ve accomplished something great. This point is the point that makes every ounce of effort you have put into this movement worth it. After I succeed at attaining my physical limit, I become a more powerful, understanding and confident being. There is no feeling more blissful than giving something absolutely everything you can give it. That is true success.
Cultivating this one-pointedness is the key to embracing every instance in your life. The longer you can remain in this flow state, the more you realize that heaven is a state of being, that limitations begin in your mind, and that everyone is naturally in control of their own perspective. This flow state is a result of bringing the entirety of your awareness to the present moment. It is your natural, baseline state. All you need to do to experience it is remove anything that takes you out of the current moment.
“It’s not about the daily increase, but the daily decrease. Hack away at the unessentials.” – Bruce Lee
Anything going through your mind that you are aware of is distracting you from the present moment. This is not to say that ignoring your thoughts will put you in a flow state. It’s rather being aware of your thoughts, and consciously being able to empty them from your mind. You must accept them first, only then can your thoughts disappear for good. If there is nothing in the mind, it is then not limited in its ability to function in the moment. It is no longer assigning meaning to what is inherently empty. You cannot focus on the present when your attention is captured by the happenings in your mind. Become empty, become mindless. Only then can you use your mind to it’s fullest.