Train your attention.
Or don't. But know that it's your call.
Mantra: Train your attention.
“If you don’t want to train your attention, then go ahead and let your mind wander”
The yoga teacher’s words pulled me back into the room.
I had been halfway through an important deliberation about what to have for lunch, my mind already rehearsing the rest of my day as my body lay still in shavasana. But with those words, my train of thought stopped and it suddenly felt like I had a choice. Did I want to board that train of thought again? Or get off at the stop?
It was an easy decision once I realized I was making one. I didn’t want to let my mind wander. I wanted to train my attention.
I brought my focus back to the room. I focused on the rhythm of my breathing, the sounds of the cars whizzing by outside and the feeling in my body after an hour of gentle movement. Most of all, I focused on not focusing on anything that wasn't happening right then and there.
Eventually, the bell rang and the class was over.
But the idea stayed with me as I went about my day. How often was I mindlessly distracting myself when what I truly wanted was to be paying attention?
Paying attention sounds simple, but it is one of many things that is easier said than done. Especially in a world where attention has become so ruthlessly commoditized and every spare moment offers an opportunity to scroll, listen, watch or consume.
For me, the decision to flip on a podcast or check a notification often does not feel like a decision at all. It is more of a default, like my mind wandering away from the yoga mat. It just happens. And before I know it, I am lost in a world that is not at all connected to the one unfolding around me.
The odd thing is that these endless options for entertainment never leave me feeling more entertained. They leave me more distracted, more bored and less connected to the things that matter.
The words spoken in that yoga class brought the problem front and center for me. If I didn’t want to train my attention, I could go ahead. Be distracted. Let my mind wander.
But if that’s not what I wanted? Well then I had a choice to make. I could accept an invitation to pay attention and, in doing so, to train my attention.
So as I went out for a ride that afternoon, I left my headphones at home. As I cooked dinner that evening, I didn’t turn anything on in the background. And, just like in the yoga class, I kept finding myself with more to pay attention to, not less.
It was a simple reminder, but one I deeply needed: in every moment, we have a choice about not just how we train our bodies, but how we train our minds.
So this week, pick a few small moments to train your attention. Resist the urge to instinctively reach for your phone while waiting in line. Commit to the first half of your ride or run without any music or podcasts to distract you. Go on a little walk without your phone.
It doesn't need to be anything too crazy. Just a few small opportunities to make a conscious choice about where you place your thoughts.
Those choices seemed small and not all that consequential, but over time they compound.
Let your mind wander. Or don’t. But know that you are making a choice either way.
Choose wisely.
Message: you can give your attention…
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”
- Simone Weil, French philosopher
Musing: and you can protect your attention…
What is the number one priority that deserves your attention this week? How can you protect your attention so it actually gets it?
I never wear air pods when I ride. I get no notifications on my Garmin. It’s the one time I shut everything off and just clear my mind and focus on my ride.