What Are You Paying Attention To?
Jake Eagle — Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
All day long we bring certain things—experiences—to life while ignoring other experiences. We do this mostly unconsciously, but we can do so consciously. The key is how we use our attention. I think of attention as our paint brush, life our canvas.
Did anyone ever teach you the power of attention? Did anyone ever teach you how to use attention? Most of us never learned these things. But it’s not too late. What we pay attention to determines the course and quality of our lives. It may be the most powerful tool we have to influence ourselves.
In recent days Hannah and I have been paying attention to moments in which we feel most aware, alive, and appreciative. The more we look for these moments the more of them we find. We’ve actually turned in into a competition (well I have). I’m up by 3!
What do you want to pay attention to today? What do you want to look for—in yourself, your partner, you children, and your work . . .because we tend to find what we look for.
To learn more you may want to read Rapt: Attention and The Focused Life by Winifred Gallagher
