May I Please Have Your Attention
Dec 21st 2009Kirk NugentLife
In order to manifest the best, there are three things that we need to be mindful of: Our Intention, our Attention and the last is No Tension (our level of stress). What I really want to focus on is attention and the reason why it is so important. Teachers, parents and other authoritarians would insist that we “Pay attention”. They never said “give” your attention to something, they said for you to “pay” attention because attention always costs something.
Remember your last relationship, the one that didn’t work out. Remember when you first met and started dating. The person you cared about got all of your attention; you picked up the phone on the first ring; if you were on another call when theirs came in, you got rid of the other person on the line; if, God forbid, you missed their call you called back immediately! You went to the movies, held hands and you’d be on the phone at end of night engaged in nonsensical conversation just to show them that they’ve ‘captured’ your attention.. When the relationship began to fade, one of the first thing that went out the door was your attention. Now when the phone rings, you let it go to voicemail; instead of calling you send a text; before you would call back immediately when you missed their calls, now several hours (even days) passed before you gave your attention to the matter. Eventually, the relationship dies.
Attention is like sunlight, whatever you place in its path, it causes to grow, bloom and flourish. If there is anything in your life that you want to see flourish and prosper, simply give it more attention. If you want a raise on your job, be more attentive to the needs of your employer. Spend time considering how to reduce the stress level on the job, how to improve customer relations ect. If it’s better health that you desire focus your attention on the food that you’re putting in your body, give more attention to exercising and getting the proper amount of rest.
However most Americans are almost incapable of focused attention because we’ve ALLOWED our attention to be manipulated. Focused attention is the source of our power yet we’ve willingly given it away only to complain that we feel so powerless. Ironic isn’t it? Not so long ago the major topic on television was healthcare. Every blog, every Facebook update and Twitter conversation included the same rhetoric that the public was been spoon fed. For some strange reason, the majority of Americans seemed to be obsessed with healthcare. We then moved on to public option, and once again America went down the path that was paved for them. Soon we became bored with public options so we were given the President and his Nobel Peace Prize, and now we’re talking about Tiger Woods.
Whatever the media puts on the front page, that’s what we give our attention to and you can’t give your “undivided” attention to more than one thing at one time. With your attention being spread among all of these ‘compelling stories’ the most important things aren’t getting your undivided attention. Before you know it, years go by and you haven’t achieved your goals, because they became secondary. You have given more time and attention to Tiger than your priorities. So in two years you will be able to recall everything that went down in Tiger’s marriage but you will not be able to recall where the time went.
Scattering your attention, allowing yourself to be seduced by headlines which are not conducive to your goals, can never be the ingredients in a recipe for success. Get a journal, start a scrapbook and start giving attention to outlining your goals. They should be the last thing you think about when you go to bed, and the first things on your mind when you wake up. Your attention is the source of your power, FOCUS and MANIFEST. All the best.
Kirk Nugent
