Some people love it, others hate it and yet others have tried it and say that it’s hard to do. But whether you like it or not, meditation is about learning to experience life moment to moment rather than the mind lingering in the past focusing on memories or travelling into the imagined future as if both are actually real.
Please try this! Stop what you’re doing for a moment and pay attention to your thoughts for one minute. What kind of thoughts came into your mind? I just did it. First, there were no thoughts. Then a thought came about sitting here wasting time when I have lots to do. Then I was thinking about whether a 3 minute video or 10 minute video was best. I had read an email about this earlier. Then I returned to watching my mind, which was empty again... and next I decided to get on with writing this newsletter.
Bruce Lee states that “the successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” He’s basically saying that what you focus on determines your outcomes.
In India, without the distractions of my normal routines, I really noticed that focusing on each moment created a stillness and pleasant feeling inside me. And, when I needed to get some marketing emails written and scheduled, by focusing on the action steps and executing each action I completed the tasks very quickly. And, could return to taking in the beautiful sea view.
Earlier in this newsletter, I asked how your 2019 is going. If your attention is focused on your plan and results, you’re probably getting the results that you want. You know that in order to get desired results and success in life, you must focus your mind toward what you want, and away from what you don’t want.
It is well documented that we get what we focus on whether it’s wanted or not. And this isn’t just spiritual, yoga, woo-woo, pie-in-the sky nonsense.
Numerous scientific studies prove this. Your brain has a function called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS is a short, pencil-sized bundle of nerves located at your brainstem just above where the spinal cord is attached to the brain. Its job is to filters out unnecessary information so that you are aware of the important stuff.
Your RAS is the reason you see white cars more than usual, the moment you decide you want one. Or, why when I’m walking in the park in the mornings my system lazars in on any dog poo in the vicinity (I noticed this last time I was out walking and realised that it was my RAS at work). One, I don’t want to step in poo and two because I see it as a sign of an irresponsible dog owner (yes, it’s a judgement, I know).
It’s also why when you focus on problems and things being hard you get more problems and something does indeed feel hard to do or achieve. Your RAS is working seamlessly to bring you what you are focusing on.
One day on the retreat in India, whilst in the meditation temple, I noticed that the silence was being frequently punctured by coughing. This attracted by mind and so as soon as someone coughed, I noticed it. After a few minutes of this, I became aware that my throat was tickling and I began to cough. I found it really funny and started to smile at myself because I knew that this was happening because I had been focusing on coughs.
As you can see, I was unintentionally focusing on something I did not want and got it.
It is therefore very important to train your brain to focus on desired outcomes. When I coach a client, I always start with the question: “What would you like to have happen?” It is one of the Clean questions devised by David Grove so the client’s attention can be trained to focus on what is wanted. And, I can tell you that clients know their problems well and often want to keep focusing on the obstacles.
There is a scientific reason why we do this. Our brain, since the time of sabre-toothed tigers, had to be alert to potential dangers in the environment in order to survive. We had to focus on anything that was a possible threat and the brain is hard-wired for our survival more than anything else.
This is why as a species, we automaticallyfocus on the negative things that may – or may not – happen. This habit can be changed.
Train Your Brain
It’s very important that your mind is directed toward what you want, toward situations, resources and feelings that support you and awayfrom those that silently block your results.
You can retrain your brain so that you are in resourceful states more and more…
When you are aware moment to moment and in the present, you will be more aware of your negative thoughts and feelings. And, as soon as you are conscious of them, a decision point occurs, you have a choice. In that moment, you can ask yourself another Clean question: “What do I want to have happen now?” And create a different, more resourceful feeling, state or desired outcome.
Your brain then becomes a powerful magnet that helps you to attract abundance, peace, joy, better relationships, and whatever else you would like, into your life.
