Where is your attention?

‘I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost...I am hopeless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.

I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I'm in the same place. But it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.

I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in... it's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

I walk down another street.’

Source unknown

 

Where is your attention?

We experience life according to where and how we are paying attention. For different reasons, our perception of the same situation can change dramatically when we change our emotional or physical state. Sometimes this can be a function of time, perspective and the learning that goes with it, as in the example above. At other times, it is simply a result of what we are paying attention to and how we see it. Is the glass half full or half empty?

We often ignore some of the information available to us. This is called deletion. We often attach our own meaning to what we see, hear or feel. This is called distortion. In an effort to save time processing new information, we can also draw conclusions based on previous experience. This is called generalisation.

All these processes change our experience of life. I believe that one of the most important skills we can develop is the awareness of how we do this. When we understand how we create our own experience of life, we are then in a position to change it - to one that serves us better and that we enjoy.

Where is your attention?

What are you ignoring?

Where are you generalising? (easy to spot with words such as always, never, etc…)

When does your view of the world change?

How might this view serve you better?

 

“We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.”

Anais Nin.