How Attention Behaves
EXERCISE 2: Brain Filter
1. For a few minutes, move your attention around the room or area; notice how it sticks to some things more readily and ignores other things.
2. In a safe place with eyes closed, review the events of the last week, one day at a time. Note how your attention may linger on some memories while other moments are difficult to recall.
If you are in a familiar area, everything may seem equally uninteresting or banal. If so, try the above exercise outside or in a less familiar environment.
Like the difference between Velcro and Teflon, our attention will stick to some things or ideas and slide off of other ones. It is very different to look into the eyes of a stranger than looking into our own eyes in a mirror. Our mind will habitually filter out repetitive information it already ‘knows’ so that we can focus our attention and mental energy on what we think is important. For example: You don’t consciously look at the gas petal in you car when you want to accelerate. This mental filter can benefit or harm us.
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AWARENESS Part 1: Basic Attention Management
Does your ability to control your attention matter? Yes. For example: have you ever angered a friend because you weren't 'listening' when they were speaking? Or have you ever failed a test because you couldn't 'concentrate'? Or have you ever got into a car-wreck because of being blissfully 'unaware' of imminent danger? Clearly our ability or lack of ability to control our attention has a real impact on our day to day lives.
Human attention is a valuable commodity we all have. Like other personality traits, our natural attention span varies according to individual, time, and circumstances. Contrast how you can concentrate if you've been up all night vs. when you're rested and fresh. Even someone gifted with great mental focus may struggle to concentrate if they are emotionally or mentally drained.
How can you gain better control of your attention? Like a basketball player practicing his free throw, exercise and practice lead the way to progress. Below is a mental-health exercise designed to develop more control of attention. It should help you discover how attention affects our perception of the world around us.
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Don’t Limit Yourself!
Sometimes we are victims of limitations we create - limitations that will hinder us from reaching personal goals. Is it possible to expand our capabilities and overcome such limitations, both real and imagined? Can we reach goals that truly challenge us and accomplish real growth?
Sean Burch is an adventurer who has challenged our perceptions of what a human can do. In 2010 Burch set a new world record in traversing Nepal along the Great Himalaya Trail. He battled leeches, rain, landslides, high altitude, hypothermia and extreme physical and mental strain, yet finished the 12,450 mile expedition in 49 days, 6 hours, 8 min. He surpassed the previous record by and amazing 19 days. He conquered elevation gains and losses of a mind boggling 500,000 ft - like climbing up and down Mt. Everest over 8 times.
courtesy www.seanburch.com
Did Burch accomplish this feat of endurance alone? No. He had support teams who ported essential supplies and food along the route so that he could focus on the challenge. Even the support teams had to be flexible and work together to keep up with Burch’s speed which was faster than planned. Did Burch accomplish this feat overnight? No. It took years of training and discipline to be able to reach such a goal. Did Burch overcome great challenges, both real and imagined? Yes.
Like Sean Burch, we can reach goals that seem impossible to many. Such accomplishment takes focus, preparation, and follow through. Like Burch, we need support teams to cheer us on. You can reach your goals, and WorldSuperHumanProject is here to help!