*The following article is translated from Hebrew so may not be as grammatically correct as my more recent articles. *
The Attention:
“Wherever your attention goes, there your life goes” – the Buddha
It’s a pretty funny thing to think about, but we’re experiencing exactly what we’re paying attention to. It can be a beautiful summer day, blue skies, I can sit at sea with a pleasant breeze – but if for example my attention is on one thing that did not go smoothly today, one thing! Maybe for example someone I did not get along with and did not act as I wanted, so I will suffer. Why? Because my attention will not at all be on all the good and beauty around me, it will be only on this one thing.
Our whole body can be healthy, but if we got a small blow to the toe from the tip of the bed (to whom here it did not happen?) Then all our attention will go only to this pain and we miss at the same time the rest of our healthy body. So our perception of “reality” is distorted to a greater extent than we think (for those who have not yet noticed), in simple words when I put my attention on something I miss everything around me.
The best story that illustrates this is a story I heard from one of my mentors and my coach, Alex Mill. When Alex was at the convent, he and another nun argued with their teacher about what would be the monastery’s best investment of money and resources for a particular issue. Each of them hoped that their teacher would go with their opinion. Suddenly in the middle of the argument the teacher shouted “How amazing!”. Alex and the nun in front of him got a little confused, they looked at their teacher and noticed that she was looking at a beautiful view from the window. They lived on 380 acres of breathtaking forest and the teacher looked at the beauty of the landscape and the light that shone through the trees.
Suddenly everything that mattered changed, the importance of “my opinion” versus “your opinion” no longer existed and faded away. As Alex said in this story: “When voices in our minds (thoughts) have our attention, our point of view is small and limited and it is time to release it. There is a bigger picture here: life is amazing and we can choose in the present moment. When we are present, we can now “Awareness of our business and day-to-day tasks. We can move forward with a broader perspective, less urgency and room for exciting insights, and that all includes a beautiful and breathtaking look!”
In the comments link I will send the full story written in English.
an adventure:
Daily practice – today, when you notice that your attention is on thoughts that do not help you, look around, go back to the present moment, look for something beautiful and think to yourself: “How amazing!” Just like Alex’s teacher.
Enjoy!
