Do you find yourself unable to focus on your work or study for as much time as you could
before? Do you find yourself getting bored with relationships too soon? Or do you find yourself
actively searching for newer ways to spend your free time?
If all this is true, don’t look for a solution – look for the problem. Only when you manage to identify the problem, will you be able to solve it. The problem, you will discover, is not with your restless mind, but is with your lifestyle.
Mind’s behavior is a helpless by-product of your impatient lifestyle. With this understanding, look at your lifestyle. You will be amazed to find that you are surrounded by things, people and an environment that demands constant change, constant reprioritization and constant movement.
For many people, impatience is a sign of enthusiasm and eagerness to grow. But in reality, it may be a sign of anxiety. In an impatient mind, the desire to run into the perceived security of the future is so prominent that it’s just impossible to experience anything tangible in the present.
The fact is that an impatient person can neither motivate others not to motivate himself.
In the Mahabharata, Dronacarya asked his young disciples to come together for a skill testing
competition. In reality, he wasn’t testing their skill but was testing their patience. The task
was to shoot an arrow at the eye of a wooden bird that was perched on a high branch of a tree.
Before he allowed them to make their attempt to shoot, he asked them what they could see. When Bhima was asked, he said that he could see the tree with many succulent fruits hanging on them and the bird sitting in the midst of those fruits. Duryodhana claimed that he could see the sky, the tree, the branches, the fruits, and the bird. While Bhima was distracted by the desire to enjoy the fruits in the future, Duryodhana was distracted by his desire to focus on everything at a time.
The unimpressed Drona then turned to Arjuna and asked him to take aim. When asked what he could see, Arjuna matter-of-factly said, “The bird’s eye!” Even before he shot the arrow, Drona knew what the result would be. According to Drona, life’s success or failure doesn’t lie in the action, but in the mindset with which that action is carried out. As expected, Arjuna’s arrow pierced the eyes of the wooden bird right in the center with unbelievable accuracy.
The ability to focus on one thing is a bold act of patience. Exhibition of such patience is a
sign of maturity. When one learns to patiently respond to situations, one allows the best of
him to manifest. When one reacts hastily to finish off a chore one allows the worst of him to
surface.
One of the most powerful tools to foster patience is the change in perspective towards life. Most
people perceive patience as a sign of inaction and therefore slackness. Naturally, they consider
action as a sign of vigor and vitality. Patience is actually an incubation period for reflection.
A patient person is energetic on an inner plane though he may seem out of action on an external realm. For them, waiting doesn’t mean they are doing nothing. But it rather, it’s an opportunity to relax, observe and reflect carefully before executing anything. They understand that there are a lot of wonders to be explored in the inner landscape of the mind.
If patience is the key to focus, then the key to patience is spending time in an environment that encourages patience. A farmer cannot be as impatient as a geek who complains of his 4G Internet being slow. An artist or a writer cannot demand ideas to be served to him at the speed of a fast food center. A mother cannot expect the baby in her womb to be delivered at the speed of an email. Observe the lifestyle of those that have to be patient to get the right results. Focus on those aspects of life that foster patience.
In the Mahabharata, during the gurukul days, late one night Arjuna heard a faint sound that seemed out of place. He tiptoed in the dark following the direction from which the sound came. As he neared closer, he realized that it was a clear sound of someone chomping away happily. Inquisitively he turned on a torch to find out who could be eating in the dead of the night in such darkness. He was shocked to see Bhima gobbling down sweets.
When inquired about how he could eat in such darkness, Bhima’s straightforward reply was that he knew where the sweets were and he knew where his mouth was. Knowing the placement of both, it
didn’t matter if it was dark or light.
Arjuna instantly reflected on this and took a crucial decision. If Bhima could eat in the dark, he could surely practice archery in the dark. From then on, every night he practiced diligently shooting targets he couldn’t see. This intense rigorous practice made him the master-archer that could focus without distractions.
The ability to focus patiently is not a result of a one-time decision. It’s the concentrated result of zillions of times of practicing pulling the mind away from distractions. Just like it takes zillions of drops water falling on a stone to crack it, it takes zillions of drops of practice to crack the wandering habits of the distracted mind. Just like it takes zillions of repetition of pushing weights to make the muscles strong, it takes zillions of repetition of pushing distractions away to make the focus muscle strong.
One bird eye hit was the result of zillions of practice hits of missing the target in the dark. Arjuna’s focus was a result of patience to practice unlimited times pulling back his mindfrom distractions of sleep and gratifications. By practicing to delay gratification, he prioritized patiently focusing on his aim in life. Repetition brings mastery. Concentration is by-product of zillions of repetitions.
Rather than brooding over lack of focus, one should patiently practice the tug of war with the distracted mind, thus nudging it slowly but surely towards the unwavering focus.
Lack of focus is a choice, not disease. The ability to focus comes from having patience. Patience should not be equated with inaction; it is actually a positive quality contributing to developing focus. Impatience implies anxiety, insecurity and lack of motivation.
To focus one needs patience and to develop patience one needs –
1. Repeated practice of pulling back the mind from distractions and gratifications
2. Placing oneself in an environment that fosters patience
3. Reflection and prioritization of life’s goals.
About Author:-
his engineering degree. But, finally,
Ramayana: The Game of Life is his
Also Read :-
before? Do you find yourself getting bored with relationships too soon? Or do you find yourself
actively searching for newer ways to spend your free time?
If all this is true, don’t look for a solution – look for the problem. Only when you manage to identify the problem, will you be able to solve it. The problem, you will discover, is not with your restless mind, but is with your lifestyle.
Mind’s behavior is a helpless by-product of your impatient lifestyle. With this understanding, look at your lifestyle. You will be amazed to find that you are surrounded by things, people and an environment that demands constant change, constant reprioritization and constant movement.
For many people, impatience is a sign of enthusiasm and eagerness to grow. But in reality, it may be a sign of anxiety. In an impatient mind, the desire to run into the perceived security of the future is so prominent that it’s just impossible to experience anything tangible in the present.
The fact is that an impatient person can neither motivate others not to motivate himself.
In the Mahabharata, Dronacarya asked his young disciples to come together for a skill testing
competition. In reality, he wasn’t testing their skill but was testing their patience. The task
was to shoot an arrow at the eye of a wooden bird that was perched on a high branch of a tree.
Before he allowed them to make their attempt to shoot, he asked them what they could see. When Bhima was asked, he said that he could see the tree with many succulent fruits hanging on them and the bird sitting in the midst of those fruits. Duryodhana claimed that he could see the sky, the tree, the branches, the fruits, and the bird. While Bhima was distracted by the desire to enjoy the fruits in the future, Duryodhana was distracted by his desire to focus on everything at a time.
The unimpressed Drona then turned to Arjuna and asked him to take aim. When asked what he could see, Arjuna matter-of-factly said, “The bird’s eye!” Even before he shot the arrow, Drona knew what the result would be. According to Drona, life’s success or failure doesn’t lie in the action, but in the mindset with which that action is carried out. As expected, Arjuna’s arrow pierced the eyes of the wooden bird right in the center with unbelievable accuracy.
The ability to focus on one thing is a bold act of patience. Exhibition of such patience is a
sign of maturity. When one learns to patiently respond to situations, one allows the best of
him to manifest. When one reacts hastily to finish off a chore one allows the worst of him to
surface.
One of the most powerful tools to foster patience is the change in perspective towards life. Most
people perceive patience as a sign of inaction and therefore slackness. Naturally, they consider
action as a sign of vigor and vitality. Patience is actually an incubation period for reflection.
A patient person is energetic on an inner plane though he may seem out of action on an external realm. For them, waiting doesn’t mean they are doing nothing. But it rather, it’s an opportunity to relax, observe and reflect carefully before executing anything. They understand that there are a lot of wonders to be explored in the inner landscape of the mind.
If patience is the key to focus, then the key to patience is spending time in an environment that encourages patience. A farmer cannot be as impatient as a geek who complains of his 4G Internet being slow. An artist or a writer cannot demand ideas to be served to him at the speed of a fast food center. A mother cannot expect the baby in her womb to be delivered at the speed of an email. Observe the lifestyle of those that have to be patient to get the right results. Focus on those aspects of life that foster patience.
In the Mahabharata, during the gurukul days, late one night Arjuna heard a faint sound that seemed out of place. He tiptoed in the dark following the direction from which the sound came. As he neared closer, he realized that it was a clear sound of someone chomping away happily. Inquisitively he turned on a torch to find out who could be eating in the dead of the night in such darkness. He was shocked to see Bhima gobbling down sweets.
When inquired about how he could eat in such darkness, Bhima’s straightforward reply was that he knew where the sweets were and he knew where his mouth was. Knowing the placement of both, it
didn’t matter if it was dark or light.
Arjuna instantly reflected on this and took a crucial decision. If Bhima could eat in the dark, he could surely practice archery in the dark. From then on, every night he practiced diligently shooting targets he couldn’t see. This intense rigorous practice made him the master-archer that could focus without distractions.
The ability to focus patiently is not a result of a one-time decision. It’s the concentrated result of zillions of times of practicing pulling the mind away from distractions. Just like it takes zillions of drops water falling on a stone to crack it, it takes zillions of drops of practice to crack the wandering habits of the distracted mind. Just like it takes zillions of repetition of pushing weights to make the muscles strong, it takes zillions of repetition of pushing distractions away to make the focus muscle strong.
One bird eye hit was the result of zillions of practice hits of missing the target in the dark. Arjuna’s focus was a result of patience to practice unlimited times pulling back his mindfrom distractions of sleep and gratifications. By practicing to delay gratification, he prioritized patiently focusing on his aim in life. Repetition brings mastery. Concentration is by-product of zillions of repetitions.
Rather than brooding over lack of focus, one should patiently practice the tug of war with the distracted mind, thus nudging it slowly but surely towards the unwavering focus.
Lack of focus is a choice, not disease. The ability to focus comes from having patience. Patience should not be equated with inaction; it is actually a positive quality contributing to developing focus. Impatience implies anxiety, insecurity and lack of motivation.
To focus one needs patience and to develop patience one needs –
1. Repeated practice of pulling back the mind from distractions and gratifications
2. Placing oneself in an environment that fosters patience
3. Reflection and prioritization of life’s goals.
About Author:-
Shubha Vilas is a TEDx speaker, lifestyle
coach, storyteller, and author. He
studied patent law after completing
his engineering degree. But, finally,
he chose the path of a spiritual seeker.
Ramayana: The Game of Life is his
bestselling series. He’s also the author
of Open-Eyed Meditations and
Perfect Love - 5 ways to lasting relationships.
The focus of his work is the application
of scriptural wisdom in day-to-day
living, addressing the needs of
corporates and youth through
thought-provoking seminars. He has
delivered more than 4000 lectures
across the globe. He is also a visiting
faculty at the Indian Institute of
Management.
To know more about him, visit
SaintlyMonkey.com is thankful to Mr. Shubha Vilas to kindly agree to be a guest blogger at our website.
Also Read :-
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