Hey everyone, I am continuing the series of improving your memory as per Kevin Horsley in his book, Unlimited Memory. Be sure to check out prior posts to learn more. Now lets get on with today's breakdown.
Horsley starts chapter 4 by asking the question, "do you agree with this statement: big muscular biceps are something you are born with?" The obvious answer is no. He is trying to make a point, that just like you have to work on your physique to get big muscles, the same applies for concentration. Like anything else in life, concentration takes effort and practice. Concentration is made up of many small choices consistently practiced. Our brains are consistently changing when we learn something new.
The reason that our attention and focus isn't that great is because we haven't trained it. We keep on switching through the channels of our minds and never stop long enough on one specific channel. We live in an activity illusion and think that "busyness" is equal to business. Busyness is sometimes just procrastination in disguise. Busyness may make you feel good and makes you think you are more productive, but when we look back at the end of the day we realize we haven't done anything worthwhile. "Learn to be silent. Let your quiet mind listen and absorb," said Pythagoras.
Conflict is the opposite of concentration. Conflict pulls your mind in many directions. When you are peaceful, you enjoy the moment and your mind becomes like a laser beam. Peace and concentration are the same thing. There are 4 areas that you need to focus on to eliminate conflict and create more peace in your mind: Take control of you inner voice, Stop multitasking, Know what you want, and Eliminate worry.
Take control of your inner voice:
Start to catch yourself doing more things right. A problem many of us experience is that we only catch ourselves doing things wrong. Change your thoughts to be positive. If you give yourself bad commands, then bad things will happen.
Stop Multitasking:
We destroy our concentration when we multitask. Our peace is taken away. Our brain can really only focus on one thing at a time. It is impossible to focus on 2 things at the same time. When you are multitasking, you are actually switching between 2 tasks. This means that you are semi-attending and your focus is not very effective. We cannot do more than one thing well at a time. Sharpen your intellect by returning to the habit of doing one thing at a time. Exceptional work is always associated with periods of deep concentration. Nothing excellent comes from a scattered effort.
Know what you want:
Learn to engage and be present with information by creating a strong PIC in your mind. PIC is an acronym for Purpose, Interest, and Curiosity. Have a clear purpose to dissolve resistance. Always remember why you are reading or learning the information. Keep your purpose at the forefront of your mind. The more specific the purpose, the more information you will get. Your level of Interest sets the direction of your attention and therefore, your level of focus. Your mind never wanders away; it only moves towards more interesting and outstanding things. Link your interests and the new things that you are learning together. Questions are the answer to improving Curiosity. You want to ask energy enhancing questions that get you engaged in the information.
Eliminate Worry:
The questions you ask in your mind create your worries. If you ask, "what if" questions, you set your mind up to worry. Learn to practice peace because if you have no attention, you have no retention. Concentration is about learning to stay centered.
Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter's breakdown. Thanks for stopping by and I will see you soon.