Doing what you are doing…

If you would really like to achieve your dreams sooner, be a little bit happier, and feel better about yourself, I’d like you to consider something quite counter-intuitive. Try doing what you are doing, without doing anything else.

If you are writing, write. If you are carrying on a conversation, talk and listen. Turn off the TV, the radio, the CD player, etc. Put down the book, newspaper, whatever. Put all of your attention on what you are doing.

If you do what you are doing without being distracted or letting your mind wander, you will discover something interesting. You will be more productive and your morale will improve, no matter what task you are doing. It sounds simple, but some people cannot do this at all.

You bring all of your abilities to bear on a problem when you stay focused. If you have the TV on, or the radio on while you are working, your attention is constantly being pulled away from what you are doing. Even instrumental music will tug at your attention from time to time.

There are those who will say, “but I am just multitasking!” I am sure they are and like any computer that is multitasking, their attention is scattered over a number of areas. As a result, everything slows down.

Have you ever noticed how long it takes to make a point with someone who is reading a paper while you are talking to them? They may say, “I’m listening to you!” but you can easily see the effort involved to collect their thoughts and respond to you, if they do at all. They are multitasking, but they do not have enough horsepower to do an adequate job of carrying on a conversation.

Whenever you would like to give yourself a fresh start, try this. Take a walk around your house or around your block and notice things for a while. Really see what you are looking at. Resist the temptation to let your mind wander. Look at things nearby and far away. You can touch things or pick things up if you wish. Just keep your attention on what you are doing. For optimum results, I suggest that you might continue until you have some realization about yourself or possibly life in general.

You may discover some things about yourself you hadn’t realized and feel refreshed. On the other hand, you may discover that you cannot keep your mind from wandering. Either way, you will know more about yourself than when you started.

Try staying focused when you work or when you talk with somone else in person or on the phone. See if it makes a positive difference in your attitude. You might be pleasantly surprised.