Single Blog

Why You Should Pay More Attention To Your Life

Come in close. Closer. Because the more you think you see, the easier it will be to fool you. Because what is seeing? You’re looking, but what you’re actually doing is filtering, interpreting, searching for meaning.

Atlas, Now You See Me

This is a quote I wrote down after watching the movie, “Now You See Me”…if you haven’t seen it, it’s a good one. I don’t watch much TV, and I’m waaaay behind on movies, but this one I’ve taken the time to watch a couple of times.

In the rest of the quote, this character also says that his job is to “To take the most precious of gifts you give (him), your attention, and use it against you.

But what is it about Atlas’ words in this movie that struck such a chord with me that I had to write them down? 

When I look at this quote, the word that jumps out to me is ATTENTION.  

And holy smokes is your attention ever a powerful thing.    

You know, there's an old saying, 'Attention is the most basic form of love.' You can make a person feel fully and completely loved by giving them your attention. You can make a person feel equally neglected and alone by taking away your attention.Click To Tweet

I would argue that you can also make a person feel trapped and suffocated with attention as well (yup, I’m talking you bunny boilers). So this one word can do a whole lotta good or a whole lotta bad… depends on how it’s applied and how it’s interpreted.

You may remember the powerful words of William James, “My experience is what I agree to attend to.

What do you attend to? What are you giving your selective interest to?  

In my coaching practice, I find that mastering this – your attention is one of the most critical factors in living a fulfilled life.  

It’s the filter through which you process the world around you. You can see it as for you or against you. It just depends on what you ATTEND to.

If this is true, then how do you condition yourself to become attentive to the things, people and experiences that help ‘grow’ you, not ‘destroy’ you?

I’ve put together a list of ideas that you can try on for size if you find yourself struggling to be attentive for your LIFE! This is a practical list, but that’s what is required to improve your focus – useful ideas that are proven to work: 

  1. Meditation is perhaps one of the most potent ways to help you be present for your life’s experiences – good and bad, so you can make the most out of your time on this planet. Meditation creates a gap between your thoughts, so you have space to pay attention…your mind won’t constantly be racing (always distracted).  If you’re ready to learn how to meditate, I can teach you.  Book your free 30-minute consultation.
  2. Exercise! The human body is designed to move. Don’t stay stuck in your mind with your thoughts. Remember that thoughts need to be processed by your body too. Connect the dots and sharpen your focus with exercise.
  3. Do one thing at a time. There’s nothing worse for you than multi-tasking. Remove distractions and close tabs.  
  4. Ask questions. This is one of the best ways to improve your engagement and to contribute to a conversation. Most people make assumptions instead of formulating thoughtful questions… remind yourself that you’re not all-knowing, so ASK don’t assume.
  5. Read a book – or at least read the whole article! It may sound ridiculous, but by developing a habit of reading ‘headlines,’ you’re also training your brain to become very distracted and let’s face it, lazy. Take the time to read correctly. Look up the words you don’t know. Read distraction-free.    
  6. This may seem silly, but one of the best ways to wake up the brain is to mix up your routines a little bit. For example, for the next week, brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand.  

I want to leave you with some additional thoughts.  

Attention isn’t only what you focus on, it can also be what you ignore. You can learn to tune out irrelevant information, so you can stay on task. This is so important in today’s world of distracted living.  

If you start by putting your attention on what’s good and right in your life, you’ll notice that it is akin to watering a garden because what you attend to will grow.  

Remember, your attention is limited, and it’s selective.

What are you going to focus on?  Maybe it’s for the next hour, maybe it’s for the next day. Start small, but do start.

 

Make sure you reach out if you need any support along the way. Book your free 30-minute consultation with me today.

You can also listen to this post on our Podcast, Living Light Radio – Episode #64.  Click here for iTunes and here for Spotify.

 

Did you see our latest segment?  It’s called “Today I Practice“.  Check out this week’s segment:

Copyright: If you reprint a post on this site or repost it on your own blog or website, you must include the following attribution: ©Pure Atma Growth & Development Inc. Used by Permission. Originally posted on www.freewithin.me.

There\'s an old saying, \

Comments (0)

Post a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© Copyright 2019
Loading cart ⌛️ ...