Why Focusing on Result is a Bad Idea?

Alex Honnold, a 31 year old rock climber from the US was desperate to climb the colossal El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, US without any safety gear for eight years. The mighty granite wall always appeared intimidating, until 3rd of June 2017, when the daredevil rock climber reached the 2900 feet high summit in around four hours using only his hands and feet. A tremendously challenging task, it required intense practice, memorizing each hole he must grab, the way he must position his body until he felt comfortable enough to attempt the solo climb. Overcoming the mental hurdle was, however, even more challenging. Each time he would resolve to accomplish the task, it would appear much too daunting.

Honnald, however, was much elated after succeeding in his endeavour, describing it as exceedingly gratifying experience in his life.

What drives the people to undertake such task that are so risky that a single mistake can be life-threatening? Is it the lure for money, or the enchantment for fame that persuades the people to exhibit their full potential, or is it something else? What motivates them to push the limits of their boundaries and to take risks that require persistent training to develop prodigious skills and mental focus?

Psychologists believe that it is not the temptation of any external motivation, but the intrinsic drive that results from optimal experience while engaged in such activity itself.  Modern psychologists and Bhagwat Gita unanimously assert that one encounters the most fulfilling moments while engaged in an activity providing just adequate challenge for cognitive or physical skills. According to noted psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his seminal work “Flow: the psychology of optimal experience”, an activity that produces such experiences is so gratifying that people are willing to do it for its own sake, with little concern for what they will get out of it, even when it is difficult or dangerous. Climbing the El Capitan is one such activity for Honnold producing highly fulfilling experiences.  Deep concentration and complete absorption with the work isolates one from the sensory delusions, bringing one closer to the Supreme. The illusionary ego created by sensory perceptions loosens its grip from the mind and the person achieves the blissful state known as the supreme state. The concentration of such a person is so intense that there is no attention left over to think about anything irrelevant, or to worry about problems. The ego disappears and the sense of time becomes distorted in that blissful state.

Honnold may describe himself as atheist, nonetheless, his interests in environmentalism and his role in establishing Honnold Foundation which seeks simple, sustainable ways to improve lives world-wide is a testimony that he is approaching the Absolute through the path of action as described in the Bhagwat Gita, which calls for the renunciation of the fruit of action.

 The path of action with abandonment of fruit of action has been advocated as the easiest path to achieve the Supreme. It is considered easier because a person may not be proficient in scriptures, but every person is involved in some sort of work at every moment. It is not possible to survive in this world without doing any activity. Even sitting idle is also an activity. It is mental attitude during all these routine mundane tasks, which transforms these simple activities to a means of achieving the state of blissful supreme consciousness.

Lord says

श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते |

ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् ||१२- १२||

Knowledge is better than practice, meditation is better than mere knowledge, renunciation of the fruit of action is better than meditation, peace immediately follows the renunciation of the fruit of work. (12.12)

A person giving up attachment to the result of action finds joy in the action itself. She does her duty without obsessive desires for or anything. Often, the motivating factors for actions are sense of duty and welfare, rather than the desire for result. Joy of engaging deeply in an activity also serves as a powerful motivator.

People having passion for an activity, but not for its result can engage in the work in an intense way. They are more likely to possess the requisite concentration and calmness critical for the success of the work.  The subject experiences boundless joy while engaged in work driven by passion for work regardless of success or failure.

Focusing on result, while engaged in an activity vitiate the dynamics creating blissful experience. Mind is no longer completely focused on the activity critical for success, as well as blissful experience. Result centric approach increases the anxiety level, plummeting the concentration and calmness that is crucial for the success of the effort. Failure may increase the obsessive focus in order to prove oneself or it may create the depression due to non-attainment of the goal. The success, on the other hand, may induce egotism and laziness. Obsessive passion for result is therefore bad for the internal harmony and happiness. Hence action shall be performed renouncing attachment to the result and balancing evenly in success and failure.

Those who are passionate about their efforts, yet indifferent to the fruit which their righteous and dutiful acts yield, attain the blissful position very quickly.

While engrossed in a challenging act commensurate to one’s skills, but not thinking about the result, the mind is truly in present moment, applying entire psychic energy, focusing all sense organs on the task at hand, thinking just a few minutes ahead to plan the next move. There is no scope left to think about the personal worries, past events or future ambitions. The mind is free from the notion of ‘I” created by the “real self”, the consciousness and the sense organs. The mind is able to access the blissful state of true-self, without the barrier of ego.

If you like to know more, you may like to read my book " Glimpses of the Absolute" on amazon.com. The book is available free of cost in ebook format from 08.06 2017 to 09.06 2017. Please don't forget to review the work and submit your comments on amazon.