Attention as Power: Finding Strength Through Intentional Action #healthy2018

These days, gratification comes quick. Things are made to simplify and accommodate. Advertisement presentation is personally selected. Streamlined awareness. Recently I’ve noticed that what holds our attention also holds our power.

So where do you put most of your attention?

school, relationships, domestic duties, religion, cell-phone, self/spirit

What if that disappeared? Would you be able to change focus, or would it truly rock your world? Would the parts that define you continue to exist?

Now look at how this interaction equates to the honor you hold for yourself, and what you hold reverent. We should be wary of putting our attention and therefore our power into things which do not exchange this energy equally. When we give energy out, focusing our attention, there is an energetic reaction to this on the other end of the situation. With each action we are either producing / manipulating material or nurturing relationships.

So what relationships have you been nurturing, what have you been creating or manipulating?

When my personal energy is low I tend towards lazing, losing focus and giving my power to unresponsive energies. Unless I am cultivating a relationship with an online community or gaining useful knowledge, I hope to limit my internet and device usage this year. Unplugging from spheres in which I have little to no part in the revolution of will help reserve my energy for the things I can curate and experience return from.

I used to give all my energy to getting good grades.

Examine that wording. I didn’t give my energy to teachers, to learning or heartfelt expression in my papers—it was for the scores. I knew that it was important for some relationships in my life that I hold up strong in the education system, receive scholarships and hold a high GPA throughout my degree. Yes I was interested in learning, but the work I was turning in was aimed at meeting standards instead of expressing the comprehensive knowledge in a form I felt honest and self-expressive. I would put off writing papers until the day before they were due, knowing if I started earlier that my imagination would grab hold and the paper would never get finished on time. Keeping strict quick deadlines was my way of stifling my expansive side in order to focus on the essentials.
My plans were successful, and I graduated magna cum laude and received departmental honors in Linguistics for highest undergrad GPA. Success, I guess.

But now I’ve been wondering. How else have I been stifling myself and my own power through these habits?

The knowledge I feel that most benefited me was not the logistical concepts but the larger systematic change of thought that occurred after being tossed into the world with my newfound knowledge. I realized that this whole setup of institutional education is, more often than we would like to admit or believe, oppressing our bright minds. Not only is the system set up to bring those already in power further towards advancement, but it is actually set against those which have been systematically oppressed in all history: minorities, free-thinkers, the unabashed movers and shakers of the world. Change doesn’t happen when we continue on same path. The systems of our societies are tainted from their original glamour. Expectations are higher than our ability to keep up. People are drowning in debts and depression, and it seems like people are recognizing it yet still resistant to change their focus and attention in a radical way. It’s easy to be lazy, to get pushed down. It’s hard to stand back up, and even harder to learn how to stand alone.

If we can put our attention towards something that empowers us, we can create a symbiotic relationship with ourselves and our surroundings.

I believe that humanity needs to release its tight grip on previously decided ideology and expectations, allowing ourselves to open and bloom into something truly incredible. At this point in our timeline, we should be using our understanding of technology and medicine to create permaculture around the world, sustainable homes and communities, edible forests which can heal us + provide constant resources.

Why do some choose to clear cut entire sections of forest, replanting mono-culture trees of all the same age? Profit, immediate gratification, lack of foresight. Why not change (or perhaps more precisely worded revert) our thinking towards thinning out the natural forest, taking only what we need and allowing the system to retain its health in order to continue its service for us and the animals which inhabit the land. If we can manage this switch of thinking with everything we do, we can begin making a real difference.

Being intentional with our actions takes time and isn’t always an easy process. But then again, who said that things should be easy? At this point there is little reality to natural selection within our species, so how are we advancing ourselves? What are we preparing + creating for our futures? For our children’s futures?

For myself, creating an inspirational space to share with others is a huge goal. We can pick up an incredible amount of inspiration from our surroundings. This is easily seen when we spend a few days in a very messy house vs. the feeling of enjoying a clean home. Caring for and creating your hOMestead takes time. Real time, hours days and years kind of time. Often we go through our days rushing to get things done, because how much time do we really have in the day?

This doesn’t mean that we can’t experience completion, we just have to remember what we are trying to accomplish + be realistic about our timeline.

In order to do this, I am seeking simplification. Simplifying my expectations, intentions, and actions. Acting honestly, purely.

While I may get a little metaphysical at times, I try to keep one foot on the ground. I recognize that building a sustainable home to share and inspire others to do the same will take time, effort, and there will be many unexpected factors to interact with. We tend to forget ourselves when we are tending to other matters. Our bodies and minds can become as dull as the window we forget to clean, the corner we forget to sweep. I will take it easy on myself by reducing my expectations, but I will inspire myself by intentionally acting towards my greater goals each day.

Some days, this may be as simple as finishing the housework and giving time for self-care. Other days, it means battling the elements in order to complete necessary physical tasks outdoors. I make daily lists of things I think need to be done this day, this moment, and lists of things that need to be done when inspiration strikes.

This year, and in the years to come, I will take time to intentionally connect with the people that bring positive energy into my life. I will take time to bring positive energy into the lives of others. I will seek to raise the vibrations of those around me, however I can, with whatever resources I have available. I seek to work towards the greater good for myself, because this body and this soul live with me every moment of every day—but I will seek greater good for those around me, because we are in a closed system + entirely connected to one another.

May we all find strength pouring from ourselves, and kindness blooming from the gardens we tend in the time to come.

This post falls into the #healthy2018 challenge by @GoldenDawne, focusing on what we really want and need in life to be healthier and happier in this new year! Check out her post for details on entering, and discover some posts in the comments on how we can become healthier, happier selves!

Till next time,