If the title of this post intrigued you, you’re not alone. In my decades of teaching mindfulness, the most common preoccupation of my students was the question “Why?”

Let’s be honest – training attention takes time, is sometimes really challenging, and is not a lot of fun. So why on earth would anyone start down that road and, more importantly, stick with it for years and years?

My answer is this: if you’re not in control of your attention, then someone else will be.

Which kind of reminds me of this quote:

“The world will ask you who you are, and if you don’t know, the world will tell you.” – Carl Jung.

What you pay attention to MATTERS!

It matters because attention shines a spotlight on certain aspects of your life while leaving other aspects in the shadows. It matters because what you pay attention to strengthens certain networks in your brain. And it matters because what you pay attention to in your life, in many ways, is your life.

I don’t want someone else to tell me what matters; I want to figure that out for myself.

I don’t want my attention to be hijacked by any opinion group and held hostage. I want to be free to choose what to highlight.

I don’t want marketers and advertisers manipulating my attention and determining the quality of my experience.

Take back your attention! It’s an act of defiance!

Say to the world “It’s MY attention and I’ll decide what to do with it!”

Your attention is valuable. Many forces are competing to control it. If you don’t fight back, they win. You lose.

Ask yourself right now, “how much of the time am I consciously choosing what I’m doing with my attention?” If the answer is “rarely or not ever”, then maybe it’s time for you to start training your attention, and take back that control, that freedom to choose.

Thanks for letting me have a few minutes of your attention. I hope it will have a positive impact on your life.