
HEY! OVER HERE!!
Does your mind flit from one thing
to
the
next?
Does this make it frustrating to attempt focusing on your creative PASSiON?
I KNOW, right? Guess what? You're not alone, it's an epidemic.
Unless you've protected yourself from the barrage of flashing media and made it a rule NOT to constantly multi-task, unless you have a well-developed FOCUS-MUSCLE you may have fallen into societal hypnosis which at this point consists of an attention span that is about 5 seconds long on a good day.
In fact, I've probably lost a good number of you already, but those who know the necessity of staying with an idea for longer than 5 seconds and want some solutions to monkey-mind, HELLO... read on.
1. Be aware of monkey-mind's grip. Jumping from one thing to the next is not just a bad habit you've gotten into, it's also reinforced by the collective unconscious. Everyone is doing it so this mass current of frenetic energy is going to take some concentrated effort to swim up stream against or at least hang on to the dock while others are tumbling over the waterfall.
2. The monkey is there to defeat you. Call it the ego, fear, anxiety-elixirs, weak-will, impressionability, mis-directed-rebellion, a story you tell yourself--all of these act against your creative progress. Defeat the monkey. Tell the monkey it can have 30 seconds of your time to flit around; put it on your To-do list. Notice what happens. In most cases, the monkey no longer jumps; it's no fun when it's not working against you. What we resist, persists. Give up the battle and notice you are free to choose.
3. The monkey-mind punishes you. Your creative passion is your joy and your monkey-mind is keeping you from it. Why do you need to punish yourself? Shame, guilt, martyrdom serve no one - but can keep you down subconsciously if you don't consciously say-"Okay, we're done here." You may have to say it 3,000 times, but say it. Move on. Can you allow yourself to feel 5% more deserving of living a creative life? Make your past, your past--close that book. Begin a new chapter of working for yourself, not against.
4. Practice focus on the sensual and the tender places in your life. Tackling a creative project often brings up fear, is not always easy, and requires deliberate will-power. If you have flaccid focus muscles you are just making it harder on yourself. Develop those muscles in areas that are easier for you to hang out in for longer than 15 seconds. Practice petting your cat or dog and having a full body experience of love and joy WITHOUT multi-tasking and that includes your thinking. How long can you focus on the delight of having a beautiful pet, the feeling of relaxation that comes from petting him or her, the feeling of the soft fur, the response of their love? You will be strengthening your muscles for other uses, plus this is a proven strategy that increases health and well-being. Other examples:
- Complete attention on eating something you love. No TV, driving, talking, texting, even thinking of something else. All of your attention on the nectarine or the dark chocolate. Have a sensuous experience. Don't let those moments go to waste by dividing your attention.
- Complete attention to a loved one talking to you or the feeling the beauty of their company.
- Listen to a song with full attention. Hear every nuance. Imagine seeing the musicians playing the music.
- Practice yoga. The mind calms and the present moment reveals itself as if a fog has lifted.
Not only are these things their own reward, they also help you practice the ability to focus. When you show up for your creativity, you'll notice you can pay attention longer because your focus is getting stronger. But you must practice, it doesn't happen over night.