Our lives and our experience of life reflect where we spend most of our attention.
The thoughts that we paid the most attention to in the past, the ones we thought most frequently, are the thoughts that have created our current results.
The thoughts we pay most attention to today, those we are thinking most frequently right now, will create our future results.
Our attention is our most powerful resource. And we can intentionally make good use of this resource. We have the power to control where we place our attention.
However, the amount of attention available to us is limited.
At any given moment, we can pay attention to only one thing. Just one.
That’s why it is so important to intentionally decide where we want to put our attention.
Example:
If you are planning to start a big project, you need to think something that allows you to get started. Something like, ‘This is a huge project. It’s doable if I divide it into smaller projects.’
However, if you focus your attention on a thought like, “This is a huge project. I can’t do that.‘, the probability that you get it started and done is very low.
And as long as you focus your attention on the second thought, the first thought has no chance. Because you can’t give it your attention while you are thinking the other thought.
You must become aware that the second thought is getting in your way and then deliberately direct your attention to the first thought.
If you manage that well, the other thought (‘I can’t do that.’) no longer has a chance.
Where does your brain regularly turn to?
What are the stories and thoughts that are getting your attention, again and again?
Is what you pay attention to in alignment with where you want to go, with the person you want to be(come), with the goals and outcomes you want to achieve?
Do you place a lot of your attention on your past by often thinking of it? And what do you focus your attention on when you think of the past? Do you mainly think about the good stuff that happened to you? Are you feeling proud and grateful? Or do you pay more attention to past events and experiences that you think were difficult, unfair, uncomfortable, heavy, etc.?
Or do you mostly direct your attention and thoughts to your future? What do you expect to happen in the future? Are you feeling excited and curious when thinking about the next stage of your life? Or are you feeling worried and anxious about what might come up?
Do you pay more attention to other people’s thoughts about you? Or do you focus on your thoughts about yourself?
Do you direct your attention to the things that are not working right now – or to those that work well?
Take a few quiet minutes from time to time to intentionally pay attention to your attention.
Remind yourself: If you don’t like where your attention currently is, you are free to decide to redirect it to where you want it to be.
My (German) mother often reminded us, “Worauf ich meine Aufmerksamkeit lenke – dahin fließt meine Lebenskraft.” In English, that’s something like “Where I direct my attention, there flows my life energy.” And it’s very true, I believe.
HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
Are you tired?
Tired of trying to (re)organise the various areas of your life entirely on your own?
Fortunately, you don’t have to figure it out all by yourself.
We can do it together.
You can decide to get my support, advice, and guidance – and achieve the desired changes in your life so much faster and easier.