What's On Your Mind?

And a meditation to help you identify your distractions

Welcome back.

We have a lot of new subscribers.

Thank you for joining. I am so glad that you are here. Was it the turn of the calendar that prompted you to sign up? People who make New Year’s resolutions tend to start letting them fall by the wayside about two weeks after they set them. That time is now. I hope you continue to show up. It’s worth it to dig deeper and keep going. If you’ve been here for a while, hello again. I’m thrilled that you’re still with us.

Meditation is helpful in so many aspects of life. The more people we have meditating the more pleasant the world will be.

One of the best-known and well-researched benefits of meditation is that it improves your ability to stay focused.

Staying on task is hard. Life is just too big sometimes. Things happen. We all get overwhelmed. We lose focus. We rush through life and miss things. We are on our phones when life is right in front of us. We get distracted by thoughts, emotions, and sensations.

Your mind can take on a life of its own. Did I just say the wrong thing? How long until the weekend? I hope the dog doesn’t get out again. Why was I not invited to that meeting? I wish this meeting would end. Did I leave my keys in the door? Where are my glasses? Why am I so tired today? I had too much coffee. I should have worn a heavier coat. The buzz of that mosquito is annoying. This sweater itches. My back is hurting again. What’s that smell?

We are human. It takes effort to stay focused. There are endless opportunities to reprioritize your attention.

Paying attention is a learned skill.

Know what your priorities are, and act accordingly. The more we can choose where to place our attention, the more smoothly things tend to go. It sounds so easy, but it’s a challenge.

Everyone gets distracted, so be kind to yourself when it happens.

While I don’t think I’ve ever driven off with a cup of coffee on the top of my car (classic), did you see me at the gas station on the day that I drove off with the handle of the fuel hose, and the fuel hose itself, still attached to my gas tank? Good news! The hose has a breakaway connection to the actual pump, so when you drive away with the ten-foot hose trailing behind you, you make a spectacle, and people wave their arms and yell out for you to stop. This must happen more than you would think for fuel pumps to have that handy feature, but then you have to wait there, with people staring until the person in charge comes out to be sure you didn’t break the thing, because they have a you-break-it-you-buy-it policy, and they aren’t very nice about it. They make you stand there until they are certain it can be put right. You will feel like you are back in high school in the principal’s office because you get a lecture on safety and how much it might cost you if it can’t be fixed. Not a great feeling.

I try to be compassionate toward myself in those moments, but also vow to rededicate myself to my meditation practice, and put in the effort to get better at paying attention.

Improving your ability to pay attention will be life-changing.

Have you ever stayed up too late on your phone following a wormhole on some random topic? It can get out of hand if you aren’t careful. Deciding where to place your attention is a valuable skill and something that you can learn to control. When you pair skillful attention with identifying what is important to you, you can consciously choose how you spend your time. You get to decide! What could be better than that?

What’s stopping you?

Last week we practiced the traditional present-moment awareness meditation. As you got distracted did you notice a theme as to what was distracting you? Was something on your mind? Noticing what our minds continually turn to can help us get to know ourselves better. Some get stuck in the past. Others look ahead to the future. People get agitated in the present. When we notice patterns, we can use that information to inform our choices going forward.

Once we are clear on what distracts us, we are one step closer to being able to shift our attention at will.

When we can consciously decide where to place our attention, we maximize our ability to allocate our time to support our highest goals. Meditation is not about avoiding distraction. It’s about noticing distractions and deciding how to proceed. It’s about making your life richer by living consciously. It’s a much better alternative to being led around by a distracted mind.

Be kind to yourself.

Remember, you will get distracted while meditating. It’s part of the practice. Noticing distractions is helpful. You are being mindful of your thoughts and patterns. You have new information. You can use it to make a positive difference.

It’s worth saying again, please, practice being kind to yourself. 

Be well,

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This week’s ten-minute audio meditation for paid subscribers is below. I added an element to help you identify what distracts you. Please let me know what you think.

Have a great week! See you back here next time.