Distractions Change the Direction of Thought
I know I’ve gone in pretty heavily on the distractions theme here recently and distractions are usually used in a positive light. But I’ve learned over the last 30 years that not everything that’s “bad” is intrinsically unpleasant. And conversely, not everything we label “good” is always positive. That said, not all distractions stop our thinking. Some of them actually just provide a needed redirection. For example, we often start with one thought on our minds, it can be very simple or silly, or it may be something of importance. But, like thoughts do, something else starts to enter into your field of awareness. As I mentioned in the first of this series, notifications on our phones or computers are guilty, memories, other ideas altogether, or maybe we experience a shift in our mood. While initially it may feel like a small detour, over time that detour reroutes you completely and before you know it, you are heading in an entirely different direction. And unfortunately, by the time you return (assuming you are able to) the original thought is way past or different than where it started.
If you start taking steps back, we can see how distractions begin to shape our thinking. It’s not necessarily an end, but it can slowly move and drift away from the place that it started. When we allow that, often it becomes hard to follow all the way through let alone finish it. Then what happens? Well, our thoughts fragment and become incomplete and many times feelings feel unresolved. Don’t let yourself be fooled, it’s not because it’s too complicated and that we should move on from it; it’s because they were never given enough space to see it fully develop.
In a Kind Rebirths space, we don’t attempt an approach that tries to solve it like it’s a puzzle or a problem. No, we approach it as something to notice. For instance, try to observe how often our thinking changes direction without full awareness in action. Or witness how quickly something, whether internal or external, can pull us into a different line of thought before the original one has settled.
Consider letting this kind of awareness create a natural pause. I stress natural because it’s not something that needs to be forced. It’s one that comes organically from observing what is happening with clarity. While in the space, there is an opportunity to choose. We don’t always have to reject the distraction. Many times the key is simply to recognize that a shift is happening in real-time and in that moment.
When we recognize, perhaps that is enough to return you to where you started. Maybe this is the catalyst needed to pick the thought up again and stay with it a little longer than before. Possibly, you can continue a thought that was left unfinished and actually follow it to climax. No false promises here, but there is another end of this rainbow and be ready for the honesty. Maybe you will shift just the same no matter what or how you notice it. Either way, that’s part of the experience. Just know, that difference is now visible. And once something is seen, it rarely carries the same power or level of control over your attention. You are no longer moving with (or being moved) without awareness. The movement is noticed while it’s happening. That’s the Rebirth and that changes the experience altogether in a meaningful way.
Kind Rebirths friends, focus isn’t just about holding attention. It’s also about noticing when it moves and then reflecting on the why.
Stay mindful….
Rebirth.
