Attention Is Power

 Information is power.

Wrong.

Knowledge is power.

Wrong.

At the surface level, where we place most of our attention, power seems to be about having things, controlling people and resources. So power appears to come from status and from possessions. Status implies that you can have influence over others, if not control.

Yet this is not authentic power. This is only symbolic power. It may impress those who mistake the symbols for the real thing, but ultimately it is impotent.

There are more variables and unknown quantities to life than anyone could list, let alone control. It doesn’t matter how powerful you seem to be. In truth you can never control even one other person. You may be able to coerce them into behaving in the way you wish for a period of time. You will never force them to comply with you in mind, body and spirit.

Look at some of the most powerful people in history.

  Julius Caesar, all conquering hero of Rome, betrayed and killed by a supposed friend.
  Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile in St Helena.
  Alexander the Great at the time was the most powerful man in history, yet he was dead by 33.

Worldly power – however great – is only temporary and ultimately futile. There are hundreds of other examples, but I think you get the point.

The source of all power comes not from us, but through us, from the source of all life. This power is not limited. However our beliefs determine how much of this power we access. Where the power goes is determined by wherever we focus our attention.

So it is not knowledge or information that is power, but attention. Where we place our attention determines the knowledge and information we gather. The extent to which we allow the power of life to flow through us, determines how awake and alert we are.

The more awake and alert that we are the more around us we will notice and take in. The more we take in, the more we can assimilate and therefore the truer understanding of life we will have.

The truer the picture of life that we have, the more effective and powerful will be our understanding and philosophy of life.

 Most people are completely unaware of the source of their power. And so they place their attention everywhere. This is like a hose where the water just splutters out weakly. Each splutter does not contain enough life force to bring anything to life. So nothing much gets created.

In contrast those who recognize the power and the value of focused attention have the power of a jet-like hose. They have the determination and the effectiveness to cut through problems like a laser. By directing all their attention into the same area they provide enough energy to bring their dreams to life.

Whatever you are pointing your attention at; you are breathing life into. If your attention is focused on the shortcomings of others, you will notice these more. Remember every person is a whole person capable of any behavior. Whichever aspects and levels you choose to see in that person, you will breathe life into. And so you will see more and more of.

Have you ever looked at a friend’s Partner and thought what does He/She see in Him or Her?

Well what is happening is that your friend is focusing their attention on the positive aspects of the person. You are observing the negative. Therefore you both see entirely different sides to the same person. Perhaps in time if everyone says to your friend, but look at this and this, they will start to put their attention in the same place as you. This of course breathes more life into those aspects and you become proved right.

If you focus on what is wrong, more problems will crop up in your life. If you focus on your shortfalls, you breathe more life into them.

On the other hand if you pay more attention to the good things that happen, you breathe more life into them. And more of the good stuff will show up in your experiences. If you pay attention to your strengths, you bring them to life and access those parts of yourself and so become more capable, stronger and more effective.

Life is infinitely flexible. You create your experience by your choices. Your most important choice is where to focus your attention.