Square as Pythagoras

Two angles caught my attention. Angle one, the hypotenuse in Pythagorean speak, is attitude, angle two then being the B squared component of effort. While I realize that we have slipped away from math and into physics with the comparison, it begs the question: Where A is attitude and B is effort, what the heck is the resulting C?

Bringing another disciple into the search, that of philosophy, where it has been suggested (we can only speculate here) that attitude and effort are the only things we can truly control (once our goal has been established), I allow my fragile depth of abstract thought to consider the perplexity of this juicy little equation. What happens when we ‘show what we know’ with attitudinal zeal while simultaneously matching it with an effervescent and sizzling amount of effort?

You know what we get.

Results.

What is attitude? Self confidence? How do we get self confidence? Doing. Regardless of outcome. The doing is the winning, not the final tally of runs, points, times or distances. Experience, leaning the lessons from our doing and making the appropriate adjustments along the way, committing to our commitments and the devotion to our dreams is the fuel that ignites attitude. Oh yes, and please be advised that this is dangerous stuff. To much attitude and you are over the top obnoxious, full of ourselves, arrogant and aloof. We don’t care for that. We prefer humble, or what in the recording studio we used to call being quietly confident.

What is effort? Focused attitude? Desire? At what specialty store do we find THAT tool? Inside grasshopper. Look deeply at your motivation. What is it that steers your ship? If it is fame and fortune you may want to re-check your tide charts and navigational systems. Because I hate to be the one to break this news to you but that is not our destination matey. You may find it, but that will be the karmic good fortune that seems to follow those who work hard and help others along the way. Funny how that happens, no?

Lastly, as my pencil shortens - eraser gone long ago, I would like to offer a possible solution. How about attitude plus effort equals flow? Or the portmanteau we created yesterday, dynaflow, dynamic flow state. Could that be the goal unto itself, that state where the confidence born of a thousand practice sessions, fused with alchemical purity of optimal effort, results in that sacred place all athletes, artists, musicians and shaman seek, the magical peak experience of dynamic flow state?

Is that square as Pythagoras?