The Power of Attention

“The pointer of presence feels like a punishment sometimes…like I’m suppressing a natural urge in some way. How do you suggest I can remain present without feeling like it’s a chore!”

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Happy people smile a lot. But smiling a lot won’t make you happy. It’ll make your face hurt.

Why do you suppose when we’re having a good time, smiling feels effortless? But when a photographer asks us to hold a smile for anything more than ten seconds, we need to massage our cheek muscles afterwards?

Being present is like smiling. If you’re doing it because you HAVE to, you’re probably going to feel a headache come on at a certain point. Forcibly restricting the movement of your attention can feel painful and numbing. Like a strict schoolteacher demanding the students keep their eyes facing forward at all times.

No, understand that “being present” is a pointer to something else. And that is the power of your attention.