Attention and Intention

Attention and Intention

“While the world shifts as swiftly
as the shapes in the clouds,
all things completed will fall
home to ancient ground.

Beyond the changes and paths,
further and freer
your hushed song yet endures…”
~Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus,
Translated by Adria Badagnani

A Ted Talk(1) caught my attention and led to the following musing. Dr Cal Newport spoke at TEDxTysons on the subject of “Quit Social Media.” Yes, I find it incredibly ironic that I found this Ted talk while scrolling my Facebook feed as I laid in bed, preparing to get up and begin my day; a habit I swear off doing regularly and yet with just as common of regularity, I return to, like so many of our mindless habits.

While this Ted Talk is not particularly profound in its premises, it did trigger a few thoughts for me. Especially today, as I am recognizing my own level of distraction and also looking at my goal of being infinitely clear in how I show up in the world, in being the healer I want to be, the woman I want to be, the partner I want to be, the friend, the daughter, the human who wears this body at this time. The questions arise; what does this look like and how do I focus my attention so that it is directed, so that it has an intensity which can bear fruit; visible, rich, juicy results?

It is part of my vata nature, my air and ether elements, especially when out of balance due to excess demands and an unskillful routine, which certainly allow me to have a certain distractibility, to flit from task to task. It is also common for me to multi-task and to think that I am being very skillful in that. Of course. I am woman. I can do 20 things at the same time and do them all beautifully (said a bit sarcastically). In reality, we know through the research that this is not accurate(2), that multi-tasking is not truly efficient, and, that human beings do not really accomplish what they think they do when they are multi-tasking. In fact, it may even be detrimental to our ability to concentrate and to our brain development. Our most efficient uses of time, our most skillful use of our time is to focus and be directed.

Dr Newport claims that what is really needed in our world from an economic standpoint is people who are coming up with things that are new and very useful, and that this requires a focused attention. And, I would say that not only from an economic standpoint, but from all aspects of being human and what it is to be human in our world and, what is being asked of us right now in terms of showing up with love and attention and self-care, and in order to live a thriving, well life and share that with our families; this requires this level of focused attention.

And this, ultimately, demands that we ask, what is distracting us?

Personally, this is coming more to my attention today, as I, in my normal ebb and flow, recognize that I go through periods of intense productivity, feeling positive about my world, recognizing the abundance that surrounds me in every moment, of immense gratitude and joy and the gratification of sharing that with people around me. But, that flow also takes me into days where (and here you are getting a glimpse into the raw Dr Amy), I simply want to crawl up in a ball and cry. Days which I call my “chicken little” days, where I go about life feeling like the sky is falling. Unable to really see clear opportunities, frustrated with choices I have made, feeling stuck, wondering what will change and if it will ever change, wondering what is the point, questioning every action and move. I think we all have this ebb and flow. It shows up differently for each of us. I have the beautiful opportunity to hear people’s stories every day, so I get to witness how this shows up for each of you, and it truly is a beautiful dance. There is not necessarily a judgment of good or bad to either experience. But in all of this, the constant question underlying how I stay present, how I truly thrive is… where do I place my attention?

This is the investigation I invite each of you into this week. Just simply begin looking and investigating, without judgement, without criticism, without even the particular premise of this speaker who claims everyone should stop using social media. For me, this is not the point. The point is, where are we choosing to put our attention? Is our attention scattered? Is something pulling our attention in a direction that is not our priority, not in alignment with what we hold dear in life? Is our attention focused? Is our attention allowing us to engage with the people we care about? Is it allowing us to engage in self-care? Is it is allowing us to see and be in nature? Is it allowing us to stop and take a deep breath? Is it allowing us to witness our ebbs and flows without buffering the extremes with distractions?

And, as we begin to pay attention, we may begin to see where we are lying to ourselves. Where we might be living in a story that isn’t serving us well. Or we might be telling ourselves ‘this works for me’, ‘this is good,’ when in reality it is simply an emotional buffer, something that perhaps makes us feel better for a little while, or maybe doesn’t, but it does distract our mind.

This is not to say that there are not beautiful things to give our attention to which are not necessarily ‘productive.’ Sitting reading a novel while curled up in the chair by the fire may not have a direct marker on my productivity. But, it does allow me to engage in paying attention. It allows me to immerse myself in a story. It allows me to feel the pages of the book and have a tactile and sensory experience of the fires warmth and crackle, the texture and support of the chair, the book itself, the words embossed on the page, the soft, woody paper feel as the pages turn below my fingers. It allows me to imagine, allows my mind to see the characters and meld the words on the page into a scene full of color, action and adventure. This is only one example. A walk on the beach might be another, or a hike in the snow, a bike ride through the desert, a game with the family, a dinner conversation - perhaps about larger events in the world, perhaps about the minutest of moments we noticed in the day. The common theme is simply that we are paying attention, that we are being present fully with the experience. And, then in those hours when we are being called to work, we focus that same attention. And, out of that, the possibility for something truly useful, for something truly powerful arises.

I’d like to invite you into this play, whatever that looks like for you. Over and over again, I think about what this means for me. When I sit in my own personal frustration bubble, a feeling of fatigue and tears close to the surface, it is a time to contemplate what is working skillfully in my life and what may not be serving. In order to examine this, I strive to invite a little more attention and a little less distraction into my day, and witness how thriving may arise.

Dr Amy

1. Newport PhD, Cal. “Quit Social Media.” TEDxTysons. Published on YouTube 9/19/2016.
2. Keim, Brandon. “Is Multitasking Bad For Us?” NOVAscienceNOW. www.pbs.org. 10/04/12.