Tag Archives: attention

The pause is as important as the note

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“The pause is as important as the note.”

—Truman Fisher, American Composer

Image from Flickr by Ben Rogers

Do you enjoy music? If so, what types of music do you prefer?

Prioritize this list from high to low based on your preferences:

Pop Hip-Hop Holiday Electronic
Swing Classical Rock Folk
Rap Reggae Disco Jazz
Blues Chamber Country Bluegrass
Alternative Show Tunes Baroque Dance

Although the instruments used in these various forms of music can be different, it is perhaps the pauses, or rests, as much as the notes that are played that give each genre its own special sound.

EXERCISE:

Consider your life as a form of personal symphony. Where would paying even more attention to the pauses, to resting between your life notes enhance the melodies in your world?

If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention

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“If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.”

—David Allen, Author of Getting Things Done

When was the last time you sat down to watch TV, search the web, or venture into your inbox, then found that somehow, hours of your life were stolen?

Our frenetically-paced world has more time thieves than ever, and if we are not careful we can all fall victim to it.

Fortunately, more of us are becoming aware of these time heists, and are learning to set up our own security systems and keep the intruders at bay.

EXERCISE:

Today’s quote coaches us to exercise our own attention/mindfulness muscles and better allocate our time to more deserving pursuits.

One strategy I often pursue with my coaching clients is to create a time log or journal that tracks where time goes when it “flies.”

Gathering the Honey

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“It is not the bee touching the flowers that gathers the honey, but her abiding for a time upon them, and drawing out the sweet.”

—The Mother’s and Young Lady’s Annual, published in 1853

Image of a bee gathering nectar

Image from Unsplash

Pollination and making honey are the two primary jobs of bees. Most of us have seen those nature shows on TV in which the brightly colored flowers put on their spring display to attract these amazing creatures.

Upon close inspection, the journey from flower to flower involves the bee’s hard and enduring work of nectar-gathering. The fortuitous by-product of their efforts – the wonderful honey they produce – is achieved by the flowers passing their stores of pollen to a neighboring blossom.

EXERCISE:

What personal or professional projects are not progressing as you wish due to your less-than-optimal attention and efforts? Where would greater intensity, persistence, and tenacity help you achieve more of the sweet success you seek?

Guests see more in an hour

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“A guest sees more in an hour than the host in a year.”

-Polish Proverb

Image of Barry on the bridge overlooking the Sydney Opera House

Barry and the Sydney Opera House

For my 60th birthday, my wonderful wife Wendy surprised me with a “Bucket List” vacation to Australia and New Zealand. I take adventures such as this with my senses wide open, even though they can be exhausting.

The sights, sounds, tastes, and feelings make experiences like this magical!

Surprisingly, a good number of the people we met who live and work in Australia and New Zealand saw their worlds as “normal,” with only reasonable pleasure and satisfaction in what we, as tourists, experienced as amazingly beautiful and extra-special.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you more fully explore and take greater delight in the world right around you? You may wish to invite a guest, friend, or colleague to visit your home and express what they see and appreciate about your world.

obstacles and dreams

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“In one hand I have a dream, and in the other I have an obstacle. Tell me, which one grabs your attention?”

—Sir Henry Parkes, Member of the Australian Parliament

Image of a dictionary with "focus" highlighted

Image from Flickr by Mark Hunter

Today’s quote reminds me of the saying, “Where your attention goes, your energy flows.” Since energy is what moves the world, it makes sense to heed this advice.

What are the issues that grab your attention, personally and professionally? How is directing your attention there influencing and impacting your life?

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you stop focusing on your obstacles and put more time and attention to your most cherished goals and dreams?

Doors Don’t Slam Open

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“Doors don’t slam open.”

—John Shanahan, Director for Defense Intelligence, The Pentagon

Image of an open door in a field

Image from Flickr by My Wave Pictures

When was the last time you heard a door slam shut? What was the cause for this abrupt action? Did it involve you and others in your life?

What relationships or opportunities were perhaps damaged or lost due to this occurrence?

Without question, closed doors and slammed doors are commonplace for people who have a “go for it” approach to life. It can be as simple as someone in your personal or professional world saying “NO” to something you want or desire.

People of courage, initiative, and grit always find new and better doors to open, thus creating their own “YES” and the lives they desire.

EXERCISE:

In what ways can you open more doors and realize the greater possibilities that lie on the other side?

Today will be what you make of it

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“Today will be what you make of it.”

—Author Unknown

Image of "Mindsight" book

I recently learned about a new skill called “Mindsight,” based on the book of the same name by Doctor Daniel Siegel.

Siegel suggests this skill is a kind of focused attention. Mindsight allows us to see the internal workings of our own mind, including our mental processes, without being swept away by them through the autopilots of ignorance and habitual responses.

How often do you notice each day blending into the next? To what degree do you experience a bit of insanity and upset by not seeing better results, and feeling less engaged and alive?

EXERCISE:

How would a greater awareness of your inner thinking and outer efforts help you make more of each day?

Make the Days Count

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“Don’t count the days; make the days count.”

-Muhammad Ali

Image from fearlessmotivation.com

Image from fearlessmotivation.com

We have all heard the adage, “Your days are numbered.” Not many of us fully appreciate the hard reality of that statement. How often do you find yourself—or others you know—looking into the future with the expectancy of an enjoyable weekend, event or vacation?

How often do you look forward to a “someday” when everything will be better than the current moment? Unfortunately, “Someday” is not an actual day of the week!

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you make the most of every minute, hour, and day to realize the “present” life can be, making each day count instead of counting the days?

Greatness is Within You

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“Greatness is within you!”

-Author Unknown

Image from conversationswithdoggy-lama.com

Image from conversationswithdoggy-lama.com

Many of us have been told, throughout our lives, that humility is a sign of high character—we should not brag or call excessive attention to ourselves. Many of the Quotable Coach posts point out that focusing on others is a key to success.

Today’s quote, however, is more about your journey to pursue, achieve, and contribute your gifts, talents, and unique abilities—your greatness. Pursuing all that we can be is something we can all do with great passion and purpose. Our efforts contribute and build our characters even more.

EXERCISE:

Request a bit of feedback from those who know you best in your personal and professional worlds.

What good and great qualities and abilities do they say you currently possess that could be even greater if you put your everything into the effort?

Day of Infinite Length

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“The day is of infinite length for him who knows how to appreciate and use it.”

-Johann Wolfgang Goethe, 19th Century German writer and statesman

Image from www.rottentomatoes.com

Image from www.rottentomatoes.com

In the 2006 movie CLICK starring Adam Sandler, the hero is an overworked architect who neglects his family. He acquires a magical universal remote that enables him to fast forward through unpleasant or outright dull parts of his life. He soon learns that the seeming bad moments he keeps skipping over contain valuable time with his family, and important life lessons.

EXERCISE:

How can you use your own life remote to slow down or pause the passage of time, so you can more fully appreciate each moment of every day?