Monastic obsession...
I'm lucky...my wife is completely supportive of my goals. She urges me to fish when I can and encourages often to keep pushing on. Does she understand what I'm doing, although she is supportive, is she really standing there watching me in bewilderment... Saying, this son of a gun is nuts...I'm married to a crazy man. Regardless, she is my biggest cheerleader and my biggest critic. Her two favorite things to say to me are..."kick some ass" and "just fish...do what you do!"
If you didn't know it...I love to fish but there are many different levels of fishing. You can go out just to be in nature, not caring if you catch anything. You can go somewhere new and exciting... Chasing a certain species or a giant fish or you can fish competitively. In competitive fishing...everything changes. You're no longer strolling along admiring nature and all of its beauty...you are out to conquer it...at least the world of the largemouth bass.
To conquer anything requires a well thought out and precise strategy... Probably 3 different strategies to be honest and the ability to know when to use which one and when to ditch it. Since I have limited experience with tournament preparation I've been doing a lot of research which led me to a Henry Rollins video. Mr. Rollins is an intense fellow and although I'm not a fan of his thrash/punk music I do admire his story and some of his ideals. In this video he used the term "monastic obsession" in relation to achieving a goal. I like that term but you could also use laser focused, driven etc. Do you have to be laser focused to be a winner...no. Sometimes natural ability will be enough but I'm not the best technical fisherman nor am I a bass expert...I understand the fish's habits and limitations in relation to water temperature and the spawn, I know what they eat but catching really big fish is hit or miss with me and usually requires a lot of preparation...hence the reason "monastic obsession" intrigued me.
I may not win the Tournament but going into it relying solely on my instincts and natural ability severely limits my game. I have to pursue every bit of information about fish habits, lures and bait patterns on Kentucky lake with this "monastic obsession" and I have to fish up until tournament time with the fervor of a banshee. The main reason is to win but to lose knowing you put every thing on the line in preparing and competing brings no shame. After all, you can prepare for everything but if the fish don't want to play what can you do.
If you have an idea of what you want to do in your future, you must go at it with almost monastic obsession, be it music, the ballet or just a basic degree. You have to go at it single-mindedly and let nothing get in your way. You’re young. That’s why you can survive on no sleep, Top Ramen noodles and dental floss and still look good. Henry Rollins
Thank you for reading my ramblings. I hope you enjoy what I write but this blog series (hopefully entertaining to you) is a huge tool in helping me prepare for the KBFNC. It allows me to reflect on successes and mistakes and ponder my thoughts. Peace
No comments:
Post a Comment