You Are What You Focus On

Something that came to me recently is that the process of change is usually tied to the idea of effort. While effort may be a driver, it is only half of the equation. 

I’d like to talk about the other half today. I’ve realized that change is more related than anything to focus. Attention is our currency and we become what we aim at. A major tool for calibration is to ask oneself: “where am I putting my attention? What are the things that take up most of my time?”

This is a deeper question than it seems, because it requires one to take a closer - and more honest - look at how one spends their time physically and mentally.

How many times do you catch your mind wandering somewhere that is not taking you anywhere or, even worse, taking you towards an undesired direction? Well, I do a lot. The fact is that when that happens we have given that time and energy to those wandering thoughts. Social media, television, other people’s affairs, negative thoughts; these are all things that can take up our attention daily.

If you take that statement as true, you will get two considerations from it, one negative, and one positive: a) these things that I am not conscious of are shaping me; b) if I focus on something constructive, that will shape me. 

My proposition here is not that you become an unfalible man or woman overnight, rather that you reflect on the idea that all actions matter, and that being conscious of that can take you a long way in directing your energy into better places. Something I’ve experienced is that we lose interest in the things we no longer put our focus on.

How about directing those 15 minutes of social media into prayer or meditation, if you do it for a month that may become a habit and you may become more drawn to the ladder than the former. How about stretching or lifting weights rather than watching that movie you didn’t even care about on your spare time? Try it and see what happens in a month.