Your attention might be your most valuable resource. Everybody wants it. Companies pay so much money trying to get it. They create banner ads, commercials, and hand out free samples in the street. People with clip-boards talk to you on the sidewalk, wanting you to sign for a good cause. Flyers for the nearby restaurant are slipped under the gate.
Everybody wants your attention.
Your friends and family. Your lover.
The laundry. The light bulb in the hall that went dark three months ago and still needs to be changed.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s easy to mis-allocate that resource and spend it on things you don’t actually value.
That’s why meditation is so useful. Practice giving your attention to yourself first. Notice how your body feels. Notice your thoughts. Notice your desires and emotions. Notice what truly needs your attention, and begin there. Practice tuning in to signal, and let the noise float by.
It’s exciting to me that some companies are offering meditation and mindfulness practices at work (see this and this).
It makes sense. Your attention is valuable — that’s what the company is paying for, right? Your skill and talent isn’t worth much if your attention is elsewhere. Meditation improves focus, reduces stress, and increases your capacity for joy. It can make you more emotionally resilient, and better at interacting with others.
Practice. See what happens. Delight in the discovery.
Be curious. Savor all of it.
Kim Nicol 