Yes, it’s a thing.

What is my ‘Attention?’

Attention can be defined as directing the mind to an object or thought. This means that a person can use intent to change the focus of his or her attention and bring it under their own control for their own purposes.

Unfortunately, most people don’t know that they can control their own attention, leaving it open to control by those who not only study how to control it, but can grab it and manipulate it at any time. In fact, the techniques of advanced advertising are used by many governments to control their populations, and constant research is being conducted to improve that power.

Having ‘presence of mind,’ or ‘mindfulness’ are also definitions of attention. It’s when you are in charge of your thoughts rather than having your thoughts manipulated and shaped by someone or some system from outside your mind.

Are we born this way?

Yes. to the delight of advertisers and tyrants, everyone is born completely unaware of their own attention as a separate thing that they can control. Most people never realize that they can take back control over their own attention.
This opens up possibilities for independent thought, and that is the only freedom that can’t be taken away. This is also the advertiser’s and other thought manipulators greatest fear. The independent mind.

Why so fearful?

Simply because an independent mind is also the mind of a leader. Someone who, in turn, can influence people more than they can. Then they lose control, and control, buying power, the power of crowd thinking, is the name of their game.

True Freedom? There’s one left…
Being able to make independent decisions, those not influenced or shaped by someone or something else, is the last true freedom humans have left.

In fact, the capability to make independent decisions, that is, take in one’s surroundings, analyze them from your own perspective (and not what you’re told they are), and make a decision and perform actions based upon what’s come up in your own mind (rather than being told what to do and how to think) is there in all of us.

Who is robbing us of free will?

The most skillful thought manipulators – advertisers, politicians, dictators – are taking a back seat to specially-focused artificial intelligence action plans.

AI predicts crowd behavior and many other aspects of human weaknesses and vulnerabilities where mind candy can lead unaware humans, those who only react without thought, to behave according to a specific behavioral model.

Entire cultures throughout the world are being conformed as a container for the mindless masses, giving them what they’re told they need and ensuring that they’ll be satisfied with less.

But that’s not the focus of this blog.

How do I recover my attention or How do I get it back under my control?

Since we don’t come with an instruction manual, it’s hard to discover on our own how to increase our awareness of our attention, especially with the pressure to conform that’s coming out in social media more now than ever before.

But there are several ways to become attention-aware. The following method has been proven to be highly successful.

Step One: Gaining Control of Your Own Attention

This is the first step to becoming aware of, and controlling, your own attention.

You’ll need a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted or distracted. Turn off all external inputs to your mind. Your phone (or put it out of hearing distance), all computers, play no music, no TV, and remove anything else from your immediate environment that can make noise or, in any way, Steal Your Attention.

Feeling odd? You’re not alone. All these distractions are designed by specialists to take over and control your attention. Like an addictive drug, many of us feel the need for that constant barrage to feel normal.
Allow yourself to relax into the new quiet.

It can be somewhat of a shock when suddenly, the noisy overburden is removed. We’re so used to constant bombardment that some people can’t relax if they don’t have a noisy background filled with constantly blaring ads, message notifications, Tiktok, email tones, all clamoring for our attention.

If this happens to you, then work on becoming comfortable in a sea of nothingness. No noise… only nothing. If deep breathing exercises help you relax, do whatever techniques work for you.

Extend this quiet period to at least 15 minutes three or four times a week. Your indicator for success is how comfortable you can be with nothing. Many people find that this break from the relentless bids for their attention is refreshing, having the same effect as meditation.

When you have found comfort, begin Step Two.

Step Two: Gaining Control of Your Own Attention

This is the second and final step to becoming aware of, and controlling, your own attention.

Sit comfortably and place a baseball-sized object about three feet in front of you at chin level. For example, if you’re sitting on the floor, place the object on the seat of a chair.

You should be able to easily gaze at the object without lifting your chin. Move any other objects out of your direct line of sight. You don’t want them to grab your attention.

Focus with Intent

As you relax, look at the object; whatever it is, we’ll call it a ball.

Think about how you are directing your attention toward that object, and nothing else. Some people get results by thinking of their attention like a laser beam. Some enjoy thinking of a transparent sphere surrounding the object that forms as they focus on it. When that becomes comfortable, intentionally move your gaze off of the object to the empty space next to it. Look at nothing. Don’t look at the ball, background objects, or bright light. Don’t allow even a glance. Make it a smooth transition away from the ball to nothing.

When you’ve settled down and you’re comfortable looking at nothing, then intentionally shift your attention, your focus, back to the ball.

What kind of texture does it have? Rough or smooth? What color is it? Does it have many colors, or just one? Is it soft, or hard? Could you throw it? As you identify its characteristics, realize that you are wielding your attention, shifting from question to question and pondering the answers one by one. Note that the ball is doing nothing, and see how nice it is to look at something that isn’t trying to do anything to your mind.

Now intentionally shift your attention to the empty space next to the ball again. Don’t look at the ball, not even a glance.

Relax. Realize that you have intentionally shifted your attention to the empty space once again. Your intent has given you control over your attention.

If you’re not calm, or your mind begins to yammer and push your calm aside, filling your mind with any other thoughts, take a deep breath and quiet your mind. Start again with nothing and when you feel calm and comfortable, then intentionally shift your attention to the ball. Allow yourself to feel good about using your intent to control your attention.

In the beginning, take a break from Step Two after about 15 minutes whether you were completely successful, or not. Later on, you’ll enter a relaxed state of mind almost right away. Eventually, you’ll be able to direct your attention by your intent alone, and it will be difficult for any person or thing to steal your attention or control you by manipulating it.

With this new perspective, you’ll be astounded when you go outdoors and see how intense the bidding war to steal and control your intention really is.

Have a sudden urge for pizza? You can’t even stand at a gas pump without being bombarded by a video loop that’s trying to steal your attention and then control you.

You can counter those attempted intrusions by controlling your own attention using your intent. Wielding your own attention leads to independent thought, and then who knows what wonderful things can happen?

Advanced Awareness Control

Sometimes we submit willingly to having our awareness manipulated. Take a closer look at performance magic. The magician specializes in manipulating your attention. In fact, that’s the whole intent of magic; to control your attention and focus it so that you won’t see what’s really going on.

While any competent magician can do this, Quintino Marucci, a.k.a. Tony Slydini, was especially good at this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Slydini

Although magicians are arguably the best, some comedians also can manipulate your awareness so that the unexpected makes you laugh.

Thank you for focusing your attention on this blog.