Take Risks and Go with the flowwwww

Blog #3 OAL 250

Flow

“Flow describes a state of experience that is engrossing, intrinsically rewarding and outside the parameters of worry and boredom.”

Individuals can be in the flow zone at any challenge level depending on each individual’s ability and skill level in the situation/activity.  I often times say that I am a person who just goes with the flow; I engage myself in the activity with the best of my ability without getting overworked to the point that causes anxiety.  Being anxious in any situation can enhance fear of risk taking.

In adventure students the flow zone is the perfect place to be; we want to be engaged in every activity and enjoy it, though we do not want to push the point of anxiety within ourselves. We all know our limits and how far we can push them without feeling uncomfortable.  I can relate this to rock climbing. For me I can easily get into the flow zone while I’m climbing. While I’m striving to improve my skills and abilities of climbing, I’m not jumping to far ahead of myself and taking huge risks that would cause anxiety and fear during my climb. I do what is comfortable and slowly improve my skills by doing harder climbs. For example I don’t try to climb a climb that I know would freak me out the first time, I start out easy and work my way towards the harder climbs.

 As adventure student it is important that we learn to become self-efficient; because in adventure activities it is our mental mind state that determines if we can accomplish the desired tasks. The goal is to reach an autotelic state. This means that when we accomplish an activity that is enjoyable and meaningful to us, we will want to repeat the activity to reproduce the same feeling we had while doing the activity the first time.

Blog #3 OAL 275

Choose 3 new chapters from the Tao that reflect the necessity of risk in adventure education for the purposes of learning and how that has been observed.

54. The Ripple Effect

                This chapter explains how what one person does, can influence everyone else in the group. To me; this chapter can pertain to adventure education because if one student sees another student take a risk successfully, it will cause a ripple effect throughout the group to also want to take that risk and be successful with it.

                For example; we have recently been doing a lot more climbing on this trip. Taylor and Brandon whom I look up to as the more experienced climbers; when I see either of them committing to moves in climbs and taking risks that challenge them as climbers, it makes me want to do that climb and take risks through my climbs that will challenge me in similar ways. Watching others take risks in climbing influences other to want take risks and gives confidence in doing so. This is important to me because as an adventure student I thrive off of taking risks and coming out successful. Taking risks because we are influenced by other risk shows that we learn from watching, and feel confident in ourselves to take risks.

76. Flexible or Rigid?

                To me; this chapter is expressing that if an individual can remain flexible and flow with the challenges they face, they will continuously grow. Challenges in life help us to become stronger individuals. Taking risks is a part of the challenges that we face daily. If we can learn to accept the challenges that are thrown at us by taking risks and flowing, rather than becoming tough and rigid towards things; we will learn to flow through life more freely and flexibly.

                Flexibility is important in our group on this trip. We have been broken down into 3 different food groups, who get to plan a meal and cook it together as a group for the rest of the main group.  Remaining open and flexible to people suggestions and ideas for meals is important in making a group decision together, rather than bitching and arguing. Arguing only hurts the group’s process. Remaining flexible and considering every ones ideas is important and healthy for the group.

81. The Reward

                “The wise leader knows that the reward for doing the work arises naturally out of the work.” We take risks and accept challenges for the reward in the end. All the effort and work we put towards achieving success is all worth it once we get the reward. The leader helps others to find their own success. We are influenced by ourselves as we are all leaders on this trip. As adventure students we are constantly chasing risk and success in our challenges. Through challenges we learn to grow. As leaders we can influence others to accept challenges, to take risks and become successful in achieving their reward.

                During my hike up to Mueller hut with Angie, Taylor, and Kelly; no matter how challenging the hike was, I kept my mind on the reward. The hike kicked my ass, but the reward at the top was amazing. The view of the glacier covered mountain tops was phenomenal. We took risks in going for this hike as we do in going for any hike; getting injured slipping on loose rock or stumbling back down a bit. All risks we tak; we take for the reward in the end of it all, and it’s always worth it.

Rose Averbeck