How to harness your attention and reap big rewards
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Have you noticed — in yourself, and others around you — how often our attention is focused on things that happened in the past and things that have not yet happened?
We replay the past for so many reasons.
We recall disappointments and mistakes and rerun them in our minds. Sometimes we replay happy events and successes, but most of us are pulled to memories that related to failures, sadness, frustration, shame and regret.
We also have a tendency to focus our thinking on things in the future.
It certainly makes sense to plan ahead and keep future goals in mind, but there's a trap here. We often create assumptions and spin stories about things that we think are likely to happen, and get stuck focused on the imagined events and outcomes.
What we miss is the opportunity to be fully present. We miss now, and all the potential of the moment we are in.
Attention is a precious commodity
We all know there are only 24 hours in a day — that limit is clear.
What most people fail to consider is that our attention each day also has limits.
Our attention is precious. We help ourselves enormously when we allocate our attention with care.
Do you ever pause to ask yourself questions like these?
Where am I directing my attention?
What am I choosing to focus on?
Am I present now, or am I thinking about the past?
Am I present now, or am I focused on what may or may not happen down the road?
I invite you to appreciate the importance of asking questions like these to assess where your attention lies in a given moment.
I also invite you to appreciate the opportunities that are yours when you are fully present.
The gifts of living in the now
We miss so much opportunity when we fail to be fully present.
Rather than suffering when we rehash events of the past (instead of learning from them and moving on), when you focus on the present you can reap the insights and opportunities that are in front of you now.
Rather than imagining (and often fretting about) things that have not happened, and may never happen, when you focus on the present you can make the most of the moment you are in, think expansively, and actively take steps to shape the future.
Being present keeps you open and aware. You can be curious. You can listen to your intuition. You can spot opportunities, and tune in to events and people around you.
Most of all, when you live in the present, you are able to create each next best decision as you move through your day.
Being fully present enables you to make the most of your precious attention, so you can create your best life one moment at a time.
Why not give yourself that gift today, and bring that awareness into your life again tomorrow? Before long, you will be living in the present with ease, and reaping great rewards.
I’d love to hear about the impact this practice has for you.
Stay safe and well, and create your life with joy.
