Why You Should Cultivate the Power of Choosing Where to Put Your Attention

What’s the first tool you can cultivate to add to your tool belt in this wild Human Game?

There will be many more along the way, but to start, it’s critical that you unlock the Power to Choose Where You Put Your Attention.

That’s right.

This tool will be used over and over again on your journey, as you orient toward what you want and the wonderful adventure of moving toward it.

And why is this so important?

Well, if we review the 4 Rules of the Game, you’ll notice that it takes a certain mindset to choose how to interpret what’s playing out in your life right now.

I’m thinking specifically of Rules 2 + 4.

Let’s review:

Rule #2 - ARBITRARY LIMITATIONS

Games require arbitrary limitations to increase creative thinking and inspire new potential outcomes.

To properly work with Rule #2, you must be able to interpret the limitations in your life as parameters within a game that make the game more fun.

If you can choose this perspective, and choose to see how your struggle for rent this month or your current relationship battle is asking you to think creatively outside the box and come up with a solution you might have otherwise missed, you’re back in the seat of empowerment. You are playing the game. The game is not being forced upon you. This all stems from the ability to choose how you’re experiencing the situation.

Rule #4 - VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION

You must voluntarily participate to play in order to experience life as a game.

Similar to Rule #2 in this example, if you don’t choose to play, there’s nowhere to go. Life becomes hard. It’s work and struggle. Contrarily, if you choose to play, you are now an active participant in your own life. Becoming an active participant in your own life is the quickest way to up engagement and create a sense of fun and excitement around your experiences.

So! How does one master the tool of The Power of Choice?

Some ideas to get you started:

Mindfulness Practice (This trains the mind to focus where you choose to focus.)

Do One Thing at a Time (Put all your attention on the one thing you’re doing. Notice something you haven’t noticed before. Continue noticing. Bring your full presence to this one thing.)

Sensory Presence (What do you feel right now? What does the fabric of your shirt feel like on your skin? Where are your toes? What temperature are they?)

Gratitude Rabbit Holes A client came up with this name and I can't get enough of it. Set an alarm three times a day for a gratitude rabbit hole. When it goes off, set your timer to a minute and stream of conscious speak out loud things you're grateful for until the timer goes off. This helps place your attention in the realm of gratitude, which is one of the highest emotional states. Just notice how you feel after doing this- what's different in your body?

What else do you do to practice honing your attention?

Bringing 5-10 minutes a day of these sorts of practices into your current life will cultivate and sharpen your Power of Choice. This tool will be invaluable.

Go forth, sweet hero. Until next time-