What You Attend to Typically Expands in Your Life

Bill O'Hanlon, M.S., Possibilities

223 N. Guadalupe #278, Santa Fe, NM 87501

PossiBill@aol.com ~ www.billohanlon.com

This era has been called "The Age of Attention," since so many things are vying for our attention (television, radio, the Internet, video games, movies, family, work, etc.). Your attention can be a powerful force and it behooves you to manage it wisely. Where you put your attention often expands that area in your awareness and in your life.

Many years ago, there was a rumor going around in a certain Western state that there was some pollutant in the air that was causing pockmarks on car windhsields. A panic set in and investigations were begun. The investigators measured pockmarks on windhields in the state in which the rumors were rampant and in a state with a similar climate and level of pollution in which there was no concern. They found the exact same number of pockmarks per square inch in both states. The difference was that once people heard the rumor, they noticed the pockmarks for the first time or they noticed them much more. This same phenomenon can be used in a positive way in your life.

Find a focus

Decide an area of your life you would like to have expand. It might be more exercise, better eating, more time with your family, more leisure time, more creative work, more reading, being more responsible about spending money or something else entirely.

Record activity or attention to that area

Get a little notebook and carry it around with you for a week or two. Whenever you get a chance, as soon as possible after you notice it, write down anything you have done related to that area. If you have to wait until evening to jot it down, do that. At the end of the week, notice whether this area has expanded in your life.

Add a small amount each day to this area

Commit to spending as little as five minutes each day doing something related to this area. Commit to doing this for small time periods, such as a week or two. You can always continue it if it is working, but commiting to too long a time period may be a set up for failure.In spare moments, think about this areaWhile waiting for an appointment, while riding the bus or subway to work, while waiting for the bath to fill, while waiting for the kids to get bundled up and into the car, use these moments to focus briefly on what you would like to do or have done in this area.