Let’s talk about “focus.”
It is an abundantly common word in the English language. However, I believe it is also one of the most underrated and underappreciated words.
Think for a moment about life in Western society and all of the challenges that come with it.
Peoples’ struggles vary greatly; however, I can say with confidence that most of our struggles revolve around one of the following: money, time, physical health, mental health, self-image, and relationships.
The good news is that I also believe most of our struggles can be addressed when our energies are focused appropriately. This may sound like a simple fix. However, focus is an increasingly scarce resource in a world of abundant distraction.
For those who learn to properly master the art of focus, a life of fulfilment, purpose, and achievement await them. Yet, simply focusing is not enough… because WHERE we place our focus is equally as important as having the ability to focus. That is, if our focus is misplaced, then we run the risk of continuing to struggle with our health, wealth, relationships, etc. despite our best efforts.
But, firstly let’s define the word “focus” which, in a nutshell, means “to concentrate one’s attention or efforts towards something.”
Based on this definition, “focus” is a vector quantity, meaning it always comes with both magnitude and direction.
Or in simpler terms, focus always has a measure of intensity, and a place or dimension that it must exist within.
For example, I currently am extremely focused on writing this article. The word “extremely” provides a measure of magnitude or intensity while “currently” and “writing this article” provide places or dimensions that my focus exists within.
In this case, my focus is placed in a dimension of time as well as a dimension of action. However, there are many other “places” that our focus can exist aside from the ones mentioned above.
Below are a few examples:
Thought dimension – Our focus must exist within a realm of awareness, with the most common being consciousness and subconsciousness. In our daily actions our focus is almost always firmly within the conscious mind. However, when we sleep, relax, and meditate our focus shifts into the subconscious.
Action dimension – We can make a conscious effort to direct our focus towards working on one specific task over another task. Or if we are unfocused, we may spread our efforts out over a variety of tasks to a lesser effect.
Spatial dimension – Focus can be directed towards a physical location within the spatial fabric of the universe. Sometimes that entails focusing on a specific object or a location, focusing on controlling the movement of oneself, or even focusing on moving an object through space such as driving a car.
Time dimension – Similar to the spatial dimension, we can also channel our focus towards specific locations in time. Our energy and attention must be focused towards either the past, present, or future.
For this article I’d like to elaborate on the time dimension. As mentioned before, all of our concentrated efforts MUST exist somewhere in the continuum of time, be it the past, the present, or the future.
In my opinion, our healthiest state of being is realized when we concentrate our focus mostly on the present, while dedicating lesser amounts of focus on the past and future. I say this because the present is the only place where anything actually exists. The present is the only true reality that we can experience, as the past and future are mere figments of the imagination which can only be experienced in the mind. Therefore, to experience reality, we must spend most of our time living in the present.
The present is the only place within the time continuum which we have direct control over. This means that when we spend our time in the present, we spend our time in a space where we have authority and agency over our lives.
It is only in the present that an individual can achieve the highest and most optimal state of being, as the present serves as a backdrop in which a person can be fully immersed in the human experience devoid of the external distractions that arise when we focus on the past and future.
Take for example the “flow state.” This is a state of mind that involves being so connected to any given moment of a journey as it unfolds that even pain, suffering, and struggle are interpreted by the brain as enjoyable experiences that must occur for one to achieve true fulfillment.
There is a good chance that you have entered a flow state at some point in your life. If you’ve ever become so focused on a challenging task, that you’ve become hyper-fixated on it, you’ve lost all track of time, and you no longer become aware of your external environment, then you likely experienced some form of flow.
What’s fascinating about this is that people who focus much of their energy on being in a state of flow also tend to have a stronger sense of purpose, drive, and motivation in life.
As the author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, describes it:
The happiest people spend much time in a state of flow - the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.
Here is the catch though…. The flow state can only occur in the present.
It is literally impossible to focus one’s energy on the past or future, while also being in a state of flow, or any higher state of mind for that matter. This is because higher states of mind require one to be completely free of emotions such as fear, worry, doubt, anger, anxiety, regret, etc. and these emotions are all contingent on thoughts about the past or future. They all require that attention be focused somewhere that is not the present.
Regret and anger can only occur when one’s energy is focused on the past, although whatever experience triggers such feelings no longer exists in reality. What was once reality, now only exists in the mind. And it only exists in the mind when the mind focuses its energy on the past.
Fear, worry, doubt, and anxiety can only occur when one’s energy is focused on the future, although whatever experience triggers such feelings has never actually happened. What may or may not become reality at some point in the future, only exists in the mind. And it only exists in the mind when the mind focuses its energy on the future.
Thus, it is vitally important to learn how to focus the majority of our attention on the present, in a place that is free of distractions that trigger self-limiting beliefs and emotions, and gives us space to experience elevated states of mind.
Don’t get me wrong. I do believe there is some benefit to stepping out of the present moment and focusing thoughts and energy on the past and future as well. However, it is my opinion that without extreme awareness and intentionality, the world we live in defaults us to be imbalanced in our focus by grossly over-indexing on the past and the future, while under-indexing on the present.
Sure, it’s important to look backwards on our lives and use our past experiences to guide us forward. It’s also important to look ahead and create a vision for ourselves that gives us the inspiration and motivation we need to carry on each and every day. However, I’ve noticed that I, and most other people I interact with, seem to get stuck in the past or worried about the future to an extent that is counterproductive.
Some of us are perpetually stuck in the past, leading to a life of unfulfilled potential and inadequacy. I’ve noticed that those who are stuck in the past are unable to break away from past identities, beliefs, and experiences, and we allow these past moments to inaccurately distort their present reality.
Some of us are perpetually stuck in the future, leading to a life of missed opportunities and getting in one’s own way. I’ve noticed that those who are stuck in the future are unable to experience life free from distraction of scenarios that may or may not play out in reality.
I think most of us oscillate between the two, being over-fixated on the past, only to then be over-concerned about the future before returning to focusing too much energy on the past again.
It is only after we become aware of this, that I think we have the power to begin shifting our focus away from the past and future, and more so into the present.
Below is my very rough idea of what a distribution of intentionally placed focus looks like:
Distant Past: 5% Focus – Thinking back to distant memories of childhood and previous chapters of life, and understanding how they play a role in where you currently are today. Using the clarity of time passed to refine your personal values and your life vision, as well as to attain greater wisdom.
Recent Past: 15% Focus – Reflecting on life over the past few months or years. Using these recent life experiences to serve as positive and negative feedback by which we can double down on our plans or change course where needed.
Present: 60% Focus – Most of our focused attention should be here. This is a place of neither regret nor anxiety, rather it is a place where we should focus on experiencing LIFE in and of itself. It is here where elevated states of mind such as the flow state are actualized.
Near Future: 15% Focus – Directing energy toward goals that are achievable over the coming months or years. These goals help you to establish structure around the specific actions that you will take in your day-to-day life. With these targets in mind, you will seize some opportunities while passing up on others, based on how they align with your attitude towards the not-so-distant future.
Distant Future: 5% Focus – Tapping into visions of a future life which reaffirms your present course of action and gives you the inspiration to continue forward. Using the potential of what “could be” to encourage movement in the direction of a greater purpose or life calling.
I’ve also provided a few illustrations that may convey my approach in a more digestible manner. In each you can see how we tend to focus our energies towards the past, present, or future. The goal is to attain as much of a “present focus” mindset as possible.
This is obviously not a scientific or thorough breakdown, but my intent is simply to give an idea of how you may begin to think about where you are focusing many of your own thoughts and energies, as well as some semblance of a framework that’s worth considering.
In any case, I believe that being more intentional with not only the intensity of our focused energy, but also where we place our focused energy on the time continuum can help us to enjoy far more elevated, high-vibrational, states of mind that translate to a life of greater purpose, fulfillment, and achievement.
I realize that this is easier said than done, as it is natural to constantly ruminate about the past or be overly anxious about the future. It’s even more difficult considering the endless distractions that we encounter in the modern world, which pull our focus even farther away from the present and scatter our energies all over the time continuum.
This is where mindfulness comes into the picture.
Rather than trying to force oneself to “be present,” I believe that the mind can be trained over time to naturally be centered in the present as it’s default setting. This is done through some form of mindfulness.
This is something I have been working on for myself lately, and I do this primarily through a combination of meditation and activities that naturally place me in a state of flow without “trying” to be present.
I’ll avoid going into detail about how I like to meditate, but there are plenty of resources out there for anyone interested in incorporating meditation practice into their lives.
Regarding activities that naturally place me in a state of flow, that typically is calisthenics, as I find it both a challenging and enjoyable activity that requires me to be fully locked into the process of learning new skills. For you it could be a different activity: climbing, chess, puzzles, creating, writing, dance, and the list goes on…. But generally, activities that unlock the flow state require an achievable goal tied to your personal sense of satisfaction along with some level of challenge that is neither too difficult, nor too easy.
You can be mindful in many other ways aside from what I just described above, however I do truly believe that most of us need to have some form of mindfulness in our daily lives if we want to do a better job of concentrating more of our focus on the present.
When we successfully do this, we satisfy a very necessary prerequisite for unlocking the highest levels of the human experience, thus leading us to a more rewarding life and greater peace of mind.