Positively Mindful
  • Home
  • About
  • GROUPS
  • 1:1
  • Blog
  • CONTACT
  • Home
  • About
  • GROUPS
  • 1:1
  • Blog
  • CONTACT

Blog! Seize the day, then let it go 

BLOG INDEX

The Attention Wars - Know Your Enemies!

24/11/2021

0 Comments

 
We live in a safer world now (I speak from my privileged  position in it). But we still have wars and the biggest war is fought 24/7 - it is the war for our attention. We have enemies in this war and we can use their image to motivate healthier habits. In this blog I'll talk about how I use it to get up early, to stop distraction and to focus on my goals.  Let's do this! 
I've been enjoying the music of Akira The Don, who makes beats to accompany soundbites from inspiring speakers. In this tune he takes a speech from Jocko Willink - an ex Navy-Seal - to inspire us to use the enemy image to get up early. I paraphrase quips from Jocko here:
  • "I like to have that psychological win over the enemy. When I wake up in the morning... I'm thinking about the enemy and what they're doing. "
  • "I imagine there's a guy rocking back and forth, with a machine gun in one hand and a grenade in the other, and he's waiting - for me! We're going to meet!"
  • "I'm thinking to myself what can I do to be ready for that moment? Which is coming"
  • "Successful is someone who brings light into that darkness"
  • "I will use the word 'Fearless' not because they didn't have fear, but that  they overcame it, all the time." (This is from the song  'This Is It')
  • 'To live and fight and die like a warrior - to overcome fear - that to me is success. Regardless of the outcome.'

Who have you made your enemy?

We mostly use the enemy image unconsciously. We make enemies of our friends, other people and even ourselves. We don't realise we do this and we also don't realise the negative effects it has on our mood, body and relationships. Two examples come to mind: 
  • Some Left Liberals imagine bitter, short sighted Tories, hoarding money and shitting on the environment. The worry that the world is being dragged into fascist and environmentally destructive dystopia leads them to become more and more radical in their rebellious approach. 
  • Some Right Conservatives imagine lazy, workshy hippies, draining the national purse illegally. This leads them to despise people who are in poverty and become judgemental and bitter and try to make stricter and harsher rules. 
These examples of 'othering' can also be done consciously - We can make up a story to help us and thus avoid the negative side effects of confusing imagination with reality. Here is how I do it:

Modern Enemies Look Like This:

I imagine two main enemies in this modern battle:. I understand these are characters and not 'real' people (who are more complex). The following  images help motivate me to thwart the attention wandering.  
#1: The Corporate Attention Masters.
Think Mark Zuckerberg meets Jeff Bezos; Money hungry business tycoons that exploit people in a trance to create content for them and buy stuff on their online platforms, as they bombard you with stimulus. This robs you of your most precious commodity -your attention. You become a zombie consumer, lost in a trance of media and products and left lost in a world of comparison and confusion.  This is enemy #1 .
 #2: The Online Attention Provokers
I imagine spoiled, resentful and entitled tweens and twenty somethings, on Reddit and YouTube (like Jake Paul, Morgz , Liza Koshy, Logan Paul, Alissa Violet - I had to research these - it's scary stuff). They want your attention too - to drag you into liking or hating them - spreading (mis)information and sparking pointless debates about irrelevant stuff, leaving you feeling guilt, shame and anger. This includes text message wars on the phone. This is enemy #2.

The truth is: These enemies are inside you

I teach this and I still forget at times - such is the power of the modern trance.
Whenever we create an enemy image it is usually a representation of a part of ourselves that we repress, but very much lives inside.  When I consider my enemies - yes there are people in the world like that but the real enemy is my own pattern of distraction and then blaming, whilst ignoring my own body and mind. The real enemy is within.
The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”. -  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
So what can I do?
I take the advice of Ghandi and Jocko (can you imagine these two combined!? What a team!)
Be the change I want to see and Prepare for battle with the enemy. Just  like in this video ​we must recognise the inner parts if we are to tame them. This means discipline and boundaries.
What this means in practice: 
  • Practice Discipline and Boundaries: Starting my day well, off the smartphone and using techniques (which I teach and coach) to liberate myself from online and offline distractions that only serve the corporate Zuckerberg's of the world. 
  • Practice Gratitude and Empathy: I use mindfulness to create more love and less hate in myself and in my relationships. I step back from online debates (including text messages) and have real conversations and real relationships. 
For me this means I have a morning routine of getting up early, meditating, journaling, working out and then a daily practice of using Pomodoro's to stay focused and gradually changing my online habits. I keep the enemies in my mind to remind me of the parts within. 

If you'd like to learn some of these techniques and develop a healthy relationship with yourself and others please get in touch and do some coaching with me. 
I want better focus and healthier relationships !
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Neil Morbey is a meditation teacher, group facilitator and inspiration guide for Positively-Mindful.com

    Newsletter

    Signup to be notified of new blogs, courses and workshops.

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    .
    Blog Index
    1. Grounding: Stabilize your Wobbles
    2. How to appreciate your struggle 10/3/2022
    3. Allowing Ourselves To Rest 2/2/2022
    4. Committing To Your Deep Truth: Your Mission 19/1/2022
    5. The Attention Wars - Know Your Enemies! 24/11/2021
    6. Practices To Improve Polyvagal Tone 12/11/2021
    7. Being good enough - letting go of 'exceptional'. 8/11/2021
    8. Reschooling and Reparenting - Heal and Train Yourself (Like a Kitten) 26/10/2021
    9. Compare and Despair? Remember Now is Wow! 12/10/2021
    10. Using Self Awareness to Overcome Negative Emotions and Heal Your Trauma Patterns 5/10/2021
    11. How to find true love using meditation 28/9/2021
    12. 7 Steps To Establish a New Habit 20/9/2021
    13. Understanding the Main Styles of Counseling 21/5/2021
    14. When to listen to your gut: The power of intuition and instinct 1/3/2021
    15. Breaking the Lockdown Blues 4/2/2021
    16. Trying to Change a Habit? Forget Dopamine Fasting, Take a Holiday! 20/11/2020
    17. How To Liberate Yourself From Wounded Patterns 3/11/2020
    18. Overstimulation - The reason you struggle to focus 16/9/2020
    19. Reminding myself everyday: The MORNING routine 12/9/2020
    20. How to STOP reacting to anxiety 11/5/2020
    21. Creating a Meditation Space for Your Home - Top Ten Tips 5/3/2020
    22. Top 5 things the children loved about Mindfulness classes 9/12/2019
    23. What I learned from my week of being perfectly imperfect, ME 27/11/2019
    24. 5 things I learned from a retreat for fools 5/11/2019
    25. How To Meditate - An Example Practice (Body Scan) 25/9/2019
    26. How mindfulness can help you to enjoy the journey. 31/7/2019
    27. Has Mindfulness sold out and become McMindfulness? 24/6/2019
    28. How Nature Can Enrich Your Mindfulness Practice 19/6/2019
    29. Radical Coaching: Shadowing 25/4/2019
    30. Timed Talk & Listen - a tool to practice in relationship. 22/3/2019
    31. 5 Things SOME People Regret On Their Deathbed 6/3/2019
    32. Mindfulness at work: more ways to create balance, focus and clarity. 25/1/2019
    33. Everything you need to know about meditation posture and structure. 19/12/2018
    34. Mindfulness Coaching - is it for you? 23/10/2018
    35. Happiness: How Do We Find The Balance? 19/9/2018
    36. The Work of Ghostbusting: Meet the mind with kind inquiry 25/1/2018
    37. Youth Mindfulness: Why is teaching mindfulness in schools so helpful? 12/11/2017
    38. Youth Mindfulness: Why is teaching mindfulness in schools so helpful? 12/11/2017
    39. Removing Drama Is As Easy As A-B-C! (Part 2 - Spot the signals, name the role.)  24/10/2017
    40. Using Mindfulness to Sleep Better 7/9/2017
    41. 3 Ways you can help your workplace become more mindful. 16/8/2017
    42. Top 5 things the children loved about Mindfulness classes 9/12/2019
    43. What I learned from my week of being perfectly imperfect, ME 27/11/2019
    44. 5 things I learned from a retreat for fools 5/11/2019
    45. How To Meditate - An Example Practice (Body Scan) 25/9/2019
    46. How mindfulness can help you to enjoy the journey. 31/7/2019
    47. Has Mindfulness sold out and become McMindfulness? 24/6/2019
    48. How Nature Can Enrich Your Mindfulness Practice 19/6/2019
    49. Radical Coaching: Shadowing 25/4/2019
    50. Timed Talk & Listen - a tool to practice in relationship. 22/3/2019
    51. 5 Things SOME People Regret On Their Deathbed 6/3/2019
    52. Mindfulness at work: more ways to create balance, focus and clarity. 25/1/2019
    53. Everything you need to know about meditation posture and structure. 19/12/2018
    54. Mindfulness Coaching - is it for you? 23/10/2018
    55. Happiness: How Do We Find The Balance? 19/9/2018
    56. The Work of Ghostbusting: Meet the mind with kind inquiry 25/1/2018
    57. Youth Mindfulness: Why is teaching mindfulness in schools so helpful? 12/11/2017
    58. Youth Mindfulness: Why is teaching mindfulness in schools so helpful? 12/11/2017
    59. Removing Drama Is As Easy As A-B-C! (Part 2 - Spot the signals, name the role.)  24/10/2017
    60. Using Mindfulness to Sleep Better 7/9/2017
    61. 3 Ways you can help your workplace become more mindful. 16/8/2017
    62. How to overcome psychological abuse, mindfully 21/7/2017
    63. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish 23/6/2017
    64. 3 Steps to returning to your nature 10/6/2017
    65. The words you speak become the house you live in 29/5/2017
    66. Low Energy? Listen to your needs. 12/5/2017
    67. How to stay inspired (not impotent by importance). 29/4/2017
    68. What is Spirituality? (And how does it relate to thinking?) 14/4/2017
    69. Breath Works: practices to program BOLD focus. 23/3/2017
    70. Procrastination part 3: TURNING THE SHIP AROUND 10/2/2017
    71. Loosen your TIES to suffering 20/1/2017
    72. Understanding Procrastination Part 2: Just do it now. 15/12/2016
    73. What happens in a 1 hour mindfulness class? 23/11/2016
    74. Transforming Hatred with Kindness - Storytime! 1/11/2016
    75. When Feedback hurts - Own your Shit - Take a SEAT 4/10/2016
    76. No pain, no gain? 22/7/2016
    77. Life is like an echo... echooo... echooooo.... 8/6/2016
    78. Etymology and Mindfulness of Language 13/5/2016
    79. An Awesome or Choresome Life? 24/4/2016
    80. Mindfulness for Young People? 8/4/2016
    81. Explore the depths of your ocean. 29/3/2016
    82. Let Go and Be - escape the Drama triangle! 22/3/2016
    83. THE IMPORTANCE OF FEEDBACK 2/3/2016
    84. Don't Mindfill 22/2/2016
    85. Love is messy, scary, risky... Love and need? 9/2/2016
    86. Awareness of the road! 30/1/2016
    87. Dealing with the emotional drop 12/1/2016
    88. Tools for patience in meditation and in life. 6/1/2016
    89. Useful language and tools for creating healthy discussion 12/12/2015
    90. Craving the crux: 10 lessons learned from my rock climbing addiction 9/12/2015
    91. PLAYFULNESS AND PRESENCE: TEDX BELFAST 2015  30/11/2015
    92. Orestes, The Furies and The Eumenides (Kindly ones). A story of vengeance, guilt and forgiveness 5/11/2015
    93. Learning barefoot: feeling more 26/10/2015
    94. Musings on Choice and Obligation 20/10/2015
    95. What is enlightenment and what's the process of getting there? 10/9/2015
    96. What is Mindfulness and Why Practice? 3/9/2015
    97. ​​My Vipassana Retreat Experience 9/7/2015

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly