Quality of Life = Quality of Focus !

Have you ever taken a pause to introspect on the activities where you are spending your time ? In an age dominated by Instagram, email, YouTube, and the ever-expanding realm of social media, our days are slipping away into a sea of mundane activities. The very tools designed to enhance our lives now hold us captive, diverting our attention from meaningful endeavors and leaving productivity a distant dream. If you record your activities during the day, you will realize how little time was spent on meaningful and productive activities.

Some blame needs to be shared by the way our brains are designed. Our brain is designed for Novelty Bias — tendency to prioritize or give more attention to new or novel information, experiences, or stimuli over those that are familiar or routine.

Whenever there is a new notification, email, or that ting on the phone , the brain says “Check it out, it must be fun !”. So, In the world of chaos, excitement, and everything new, it is becoming increasingly difficult to focus on a single topic.

Swami Mukundananda, who is an authority in Mind Management, explains that brain loves the low-value activity and finds high-value activity very boring! He says that Quality of Life depends on two aspects:

1. Topic of Focus

2. Quality of Focus (extended period of focus on the chosen topic)

He illustrates this with a beautiful story of a Zen master and his disciple.

In a quiet village surrounded by tall mountains, there lived a Zen teacher who was really good at helping people understand important things about life. One day, a young student who was good at shooting arrows came to learn from the teacher. The student could hit targets perfectly from far away, but there was a special lesson waiting for him.

The Zen teacher took the student to a wobbly bridge that hung over a rushing river. When the student stepped on the bridge, it shook and swayed, making him feel scared. The teacher gave him his bow and arrows and asked him to shoot a target on the other side of the river. But every time the student tried, his arrows missed by a lot. He felt frustrated and confused. The teacher then told him something important: “Your shooting skills are impressive, but a mind that wavers like this bridge can’t do its best.”

A much more ancient story is from our scriptures :

In the ancient realm of India, a momentous lesson in focus and skill took place. Dronacharya, a revered archery teacher, challenged his pupil Arjuna with a simple question: “What do you see?” As Arjuna’s gaze fixed upon a distant tree branch, he replied confidently, “I see the branch and its leaves.”

Dronacharya’s wisdom ran deeper, urging Arjuna to narrow his focus further. “Focus more. Tell me, what do you see?” With unwavering concentration, Arjuna adjusted his vision and answered, “I see the eye of the bird.”

This pivotal exchange encapsulated the essence of a warrior’s resolve — To Focus on the Target and cut out the distraction.

It is up to us to understand the wisdom in Swami Ji’s words. The easiest path in my opinion is digital detox. Try switching off all the gadgets and utilize that time to read a book, make a business strategy, improve your resume, or do anything that takes you forward in life. Once you start seeing the benefit, it will put you in the habit of maintaining focus.

Check out this video to learn more on how to develop intense focus : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDpnqv4-mTc