I'm talking about: attention.
It's amazing to me that this superpower is not taught or nurtured in school (or if it is-- only just barely) in a deep, embodied, sensorial way.
Most of the time, most people think of it as something done solely "in our head" and most of the time, people become more immobilized when they try to pay attention more or better.
These are...not so good.
Winifred Gallagher wrote in Rapt: Attention and The Focused Life:
"The real problem is that we don't appreciate our own ability to use attention to select and create truly satisfying experience."
Gallagher (and a lot of others) tend to leave out the fact that attention is something we do with our whole selves-- our muscles, eyes, breathing, everything - not just inside our heads.
It's a fully embodied organization.
Nurturing our attending abilities is a keystone to creating a truly satisfying life.
You, dear reader, have this amazing superpower -- attention.
Take a few seconds throughout your day to notice not only what you pay attention to, but how you attend. You might be surprised by the habits you uncover in your breathing, your eyes, your jaw-- your self.
Cheers,
Gisele
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