The Power of Focus

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Joann Calabrese, author of the new Growing Mindful.

Focusing attention is a key part of meditation, prayer, and ritual. Carrying that skill into the rest of our lives can be valuable for achieving goals and living our purpose. Yet maintaining focus during busy days can be challenging. And now while navigating the increased obstacles of COVID-19, it can feel impossible.

One powerful focusing tool for countering distractions is holding onto a spiritual concept as the day unfolds. It can easily be incorporated into busy lives. The spiritual concept serves as a focusing anchor and a lens for experiences.

As an example, consider working with the concept of openings. The word encompasses a range of meanings from opportunities to growing spiritually. The first step is taking some time to consider what this concept means to you personally. That can be accomplished through journaling or spending time holding the idea in meditation.

Our minds are assisted by vivid pictures, so finding an image that represents the concept is helpful. Picturing the transformation from a bud to a flower seems like a perfect example of openings to me as a gardener. If you have taken the time to watch this magical progression, this image could work for you as well. Remember that a flower begins as a tightly shut bud. It might be hard to discern any openings, but over the course of days the openings begin to appear—you just have to wait for them.

As you hold the concept of openings in your awareness, be watchful of where it appears. You may find openings in your day for more dedicated spiritual practice, where you had not seen them before. Or you might find that a seemingly intractable problem has some space around it for solving. There may be more openings throughout the day to practice kindness and compassion. This focus can also bring our attention to the openings we have to advocate for a better world.

Alternately, holding an awareness of openings might assist at work in finding common ground around disagreements. There might be openings to develop deeper relationships with family and friends.

One caution about this practice is that is not a mental exercise as much as an experiential one. The point is not to just think about where openings might happen, but to carry the concept through the day, being curious about where openings are manifesting.

This focusing practice can be used with any spiritual concept you choose. Concentrating on just one concept energizes attentiveness and provides a powerful clear direction. To begin, identify an idea you want to work with. Next find an image that exemplifies this concept. Make a commitment to be aware of the concept throughout the day. Scheduling reminders on your phone or using well placed Post It notes can serve as reminders. Be open to new insights and connections. You may be surprised at what you discover.

A more detailed explanation of this focusing activity appears in my book, Growing Mindful: Explorations in the Garden to Deepen Awareness.

Our thanks to Joann for her guest post! For more from Joann Calabrese, read her article, “Embracing Winter Energy: Three Practices.”