10% of your Total Attention per hour
September 28, 2006
I’ve been dedicating 10 percent of every hour of my waking life to focusing inward.
Here is the reason:
“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.” – Carl Jung
I believe what Carl Jung said about looking within because any success I have had so far in overcoming fears and challenges has been due to going within and understanding, awakening.
Lately I’ve been looking at my life and I’ve noticed that I spend so much time creating and reacting to the little world in my head, spinning my wheels on so many daily activities that keep me busy and leave me almost NO time for what truly matters.
What truly matters?
Happiness. Pure and simple. All the things we desire, all our hopes and dreams all point to one thing, happiness. It is what we all want. We seek it in our lives most of us looking outside of our selves to find it, lusting after that which alludes us. Many of us look to material things to give us happiness like a person goes to a priest to find some kind of connection to God. We seek happiness like many around the world seek God, by proxy not realizing that both of these most sought after sacred nouns are with us always and only need to be realized, seen. Instead we look to get material things or satisfy our ego socially, religiously, physiologically for that moment of orgasmic, holy natural state of ecstasy.
Happiness can not be attained by outside circumstances, at least not for very long. So I have decided to focus within for 10% of every waking hour of my day for the next 30 days. 10% of every hour equates to about 7 minutes out of every 60 minutes.
Why 10%?
Tithing (giving ten percent) seems to be VERY powerful. Nearly every wealthy person tithes at least 10%. Nearly every person that modern society considers successful tithes. When I say “tithe” I’m not speaking merely in Christian terms of giving to a certain church. I mean giving back 10% of something of value to what ever cause, group, individual you feel is worthy. If we consider 10% of our money valuable, how much MORE valuable is our time, energy, attention. Tithing seems to be an active acknowledgement that what we have been given is only borrowed from a higher source; everything we “own” and everything we are must be given back to its rightful owner eventually… even our bodies.
Brad Jensen mentions the impact of spiritual tithing in his article “The Secrets of the Universe”.
So I will meditate for 7 minutes of every hour. I personally equate meditation to inward focus. The optimal type of meditation is in utter silence and stillness in a location that is conducive to the practice. But I don’t feel that is absolutely necessary. Deliberate action is a form of meditation. This means conscious action in all that you do. This is what I intend to do every hour of every day.
So Far
I’ve been going for about 4 days and I’ve already had some fascinating results. In one meditation, I felt what I can only describe as “powerful warmth” going up my spine with a shocking realization that when ever I send a blessing to someone it must be more than blessing by proxy. So instead of saying (or thinking), “God, bless you” I have started giving the blessing directly from my heart:
“Bless you” it is very personal and very loving to whomever I send the blessing to.
I seem to be getting messages (advice?) like that more often. I also feel more connected with people (something that started when I started using Deepak’s Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.)
Lately, I’ve been having feeling of all my intentions happening. Worries melt away, doubt and resistance dissipates and all that is left is a iron solid assurance that my dreams already exist regardless of what my five senses are telling me. It is beautiful and very fulfilling.
