How a Simple Scooter Ride Taught Me the Power of Concentration and Strategy

While in Greece, a friend and I hired a scooter to explore the island of Aegina.

Something we wanted to see were some ancient olive trees that had been marked as a point of interest on a tourist map.

Since it was marked on a tourist map I assumed it would be easy to find, easy to get to, and somewhat populated. These were bad assumptions.

Somewhere along the line, we ended up on a road that we should have had a four-wheel drive for, or a trail bike, or at the very least, a mountain bike. Certainly not a scooter.

Fortunately, I was able to apply my basic mountain biking skills. As I was navigating the terrain, I realized there were a couple of life lessons to be gleaned from the situation.

This comes up in various outdoor sports. White-water kayaking, rock-climbing, and mountain biking come to mind.

The idea is that before you get into the thick of things, it is smart to pause for a bit and choose the best route. Or if there is no time to pause, at least look ahead and decide how to overcome the next few obstacles before you get to them.

This is true in life as well. To be successful in pretty much anything, you need to pick your route. In other words, you need a destination and a plan to get there.

This doesn’t mean everything is set in stone. Even while climbing you may decide to change your path when unexpected obstacles get in the way, or if you realize the path you originally chose is the wrong one.

When you are going downhill on a mountain bike, you need to concentrate.

If you don’t you may find a tree will suddenly jump out in front of you, and that’s no good.

Same goes for kayaking in rapids or climbing a cliff. Lack of concentration can get you killed if something goes wrong.

So how does this apply to everyday life?

To reach any goal, you need to concentrate on it. I’m not saying you need to obsess. But set aside specific, regular time to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve, and during that time, do your best to focus solely on that.

Put away your devices and block out all other distractions as best as you can.

For example, I’ve decided I want to learn Mandarin, so I’ve blocked out 45 minutes every morning to study. It happens immediately after my morning exercise.

There are three reasons I did this.

The first is that I make it a priority. It is in the morning. The only thing that takes higher priority is exercise and meditation.

The second is that it is always after exercising. This is habit stacking. I already have a set habit of exercising every morning, so I tag this on the end of that. It’s an automatic cue. After a week or so, it will feel automatic.

And finally, I’ve chosen 45 minutes because I know from experience that this is about how long I can focus on one thing before my mind starts to deteriorate and get distracted. In other words, after about 45 minutes, I’ll get bored and need a break.

Ironically, I thought up the majority of this post while riding the scooter. I definitely should have been concentrating on riding the scooter. Perhaps I had been riding for more than 45 minutes.