Written by: Kristen Lessig Schenerlein, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Optimal experiences consist of intrinsically motivating activities that present a sense of freedom or control and offer a challenge. As a Recreation Therapist, I created the environment to foster these experiences. One environment I recall was synthetic and sweat mixed smell, bouncing balls, and squeaking tires. Jacob entered seemingly curious and nervous. Crutches in hand, he slowly made his way in. He hesitated “taking a seat” for wheelchair basketball practice. At thirteen, that chair symbolized something different to him, not a means to level the playing field, provide independence or safety. It became clear that the external conditions (playing basketball) were matched to the goal (independence) and ability level (using upper body) (Csikszentmihalyi, 2008).
Jacob had spina bifida and fellow b-ballers had sustained spinal cord injuries. All overcome physical barriers to make it to the gym, demonstrating passion to persevere (grit). On this court the disability no longer took center stage. Each athlete became intrinsically motivated, exercised agency, and owned their experience. Adaptive equipment (wheelchair) allowed the matching of challenge level with ability level. Minimizing distractions (various abilities) allowed athletes to focus on skills. Each setting goals, analyzing activities, making plans, adjusting plans, reflecting on progress, and at some point, entering flow state (Csikszentmihalyi, 2008). Experiences of flow are fleeting; grit ensures we cycle through flow on the quest for enhancing well-being and improving quality of life.
Sport involves a strange paradox in flow: time stands still, time flies; effortless activity, extreme challenge; feeling relaxed, and intense; ability to be present, yet lose your sense of self. This is empowering and as an intervention, the impact far exceeds the activity at hand. Take Jacob who shifted beyond wheelchair basketball to racing. He traveled and competed in marathons with his mother, an avid runner. Peer bonds were formed, each pushing the other beyond individual limits (not literally of course), gaining independence well beyond the realms of physical activity to all aspects of their lives. Each became intrinsically motivated, having a clear sense of agency because the racing gave them a sense of meaning in their lives that had not existed (David et al., 2015). They saw themselves as advocates for shifting perceptions of people with physical disabilities, even ensuring the formation of an official wheelchair division in races. As a result, it is common to cross paths with a wheelchair racer when running a marathon. Csikszentmihalyi (2008) summarized this perfectly, “to improve our life we must improve the quality of our experience. It is more about how we feel about ourselves that impacts what we will achieve in life.”
Goals we set must be meaningful cultivating the motivation to pursue it (David et al., 2015). The context (our purpose) for those goals matters. In disability sports, the goal may not be mastery but instead an opportunity to be free of the physical and mental constraints of the disability, increasing independence, social connection, and well-being. Viktor Frankle describes this best in Man’s Search for Meaning, “He, who has a way to live for, can bear with almost any how” (Frankl, 2006). With a strong reason why, we can overcome any challenge. One’s grit is essential, passion (physically active) plus persistence (continued action despite difficulty) moves us towards a long-term goal (independence) (Duckworth et al., 2007). High-level goal construals allow athletes with disabilities to identify intentional actions they can take to achieve goal(s). Aligning abilities to create a self-concordant journey unique to their values, not based solely on their physical ability level (David et al., 2015). Capitalizing on one’s abilities and linking with their interests shifts mindsets around disability and physical activity or sport. As the Aristotelian Principle proposes, “we enjoy doing what we do well”. Growing competence in an activity of personal interest makes it easier to repeat efforts and allows us to experience flow. Savoring each flow of experiences to pull us passionately to the next. Jacob’s accomplishments were the result of focusing on his abilities, linking them to his interests, and supporting his perseverance along the path (Peterson, 2006).
Building in enjoyment allows an athlete, like Jacob, to gain control over his experiences with expectations he set for himself being met, he went beyond them to achieve the unimagined. This is a continuous loop of growth (grit) and enjoyment (flow). Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Staying the course to create and embrace flow to enhance one’s well-being and quality of life requires stamina, and is where life transformation occurs (Duckworth et al., 2007).
Kristen Lessig Schenerlein, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Kristen Lessig-Schenerlein, a social entrepreneur, mental fitness coach and yoga instructor, is an expert in nonprofit leadership, forever passionate about the fields of neuroscience, positive psychology, and performance science. After nearly two decades of being driven by a mission, almost to complete burnout and after having experienced the real life effects of working within a toxic environment, Kristen began down a new path in service to others facing similar challenges. She integrated her own personal yoga practice and energy medicine into a science-based coaching practice. She became a trained yoga instructor guiding her clients “on the mat” and also an ICF Certified Professional Coach and a Certified Positive Intelligence Coach to support her clients “off the mat” with mental fitness training and coaching. Kristen has dedicated her entire career to transforming the lives of others and sees herself now as a guide to those willing to do the innerwork necessary to link their power with their passions, so that they can live a life more in alignment with their values, while showing up authentically in aspects of their lives. Kristen is the founder of Koi Coaching and Consulting, serving clients around the world, thanks in part to being part of the coaching team of BetterUp as well, whose mission is to make coaching accessible to all, unlocking greater potential, purpose, and passion.
Born in a small coastal town in Connecticut, Kristen also spent a good part of her career in Richmond, Virginia, where she founded her nonprofit organization before moving back to the coast where she now resides in Southwest Florida with her husband and a blended family of four beautiful children.
