Being Point

Tag: attention

  • Worry Falls Into Two Basic Categories

    Worry is irrational, when you think about it, because worry falls into two basic categories: things we can’t do anything about and things that we can.

    For the things we can’t do anything about, worry is needless suffering. When we can do something about what worries us, we can take action. Of course, this is a simple approach – but it makes sense. Sometimes, the hardest thing has been to do what makes the most sense.

    Worrying is a habit that we most likely were taught by powerful role models in our lives. Like most habits, it can be changed with focus and attention.

    What have you been worrying about that you can’t change? Can you give up at least that worrying?

    What have you worrying about that you can change? What actions can you take to address those issues?

  • Where In Your Life Would Adopting Beginner’s Mind Be Most Beneficial For You?

    In Zen Buddhism, there is the concept of beginner’s mind. This is a state of openness and receptivity as if one were just beginning – no matter how long you might have actually engaged in a particular activity or faced a specific situation.  There is less analysis and judgment about whether or not something is working.  Thus, there is more presence and attention. Less distraction, more focus.

    Imagine the possibilities of approaching your career, your romantic interests, your financial position, your dreams, your life –  all from the perspective that you are just beginning. Why? A beginner has, by definition, no preconceived notions about how something should be done; therefore, she or he has a very open mind.

    Where in your life would having beginner’s mind be most useful to you? What assumptions and limitations might have to fall away if you approached everything as if for the first time? Have you ever done this before? If so, how did it work for you?

  • Attention Expands The Goals On Which It Is Focused

    An old saying goes: “That which we put our attention on, expands.” When we’ve put our attention on negatives like difficulty, unfairness, obstacles, limitations and reasons why we haven’t been able to do something, we’ve put our attention on matters that do not move us forward. We have then unwittingly formed a goal of not moving forward because our attention has been focused on negatives.

    There’s no way that a trained Olympic athlete would ever say just before a competition, “I can’t do it – it’s too hard – who do I think I am that I can medal in this event?” The reason is self-evident: to do so would be to put attention on some aspect of failure. At best, that unwisely-focused attention would dilute one’s power to hit one’s goals. At worst, that choice would impair one’s performance and even invite disaster.

    Can you think of examples in yourself or others where you have heard litanies of attention being put on negatives? Do you believe that that behavior can and should be changed if one wishes to reach your goals? How urgent is that change in behavior?