Happy Gardening

As we clear away the weeds in our garden, spread a fresh layer of compost, and pull our vegetable seeds from the shelf, I am reminded of the power of attention in supporting meaningful growth and transformation. When we continually focus our mind upon cultivating virtue and weeding out that which is harmful or superfluous, we can harvest human flourishing.

However, this is much easier said than done as research has shown that ordinarily our mind is distracted about 50% of the time, regardless of what we are doing. For those of us who have attempted the simple practice of watching our breath without distraction, this finding is not at all surprising.

Thankfully, this condition of distraction is not destiny, it is a habit. The more carelessly we allow the mind to wander, the more prone the mind is to distraction. The more carefully we watch the mind, the more carefully we can place the mind on a chosen object of attention.

Again, this is not easy.   

To invigorate our passion in working through this challenge it is worthwhile to consider some of the possible side effects of living an inattentive life; compulsive eating, persistent anxiety, substance abuse, chronic stress, sleep disorders, impulsive spending, screen addiction, emotional outbursts, and sexual problems, and the list goes on…

Alternatively, strengthening our attention allows us to stay aligned with our values, effectively serve others, and replace distraction with purposeful living. William James, the pioneer of American Psychology, writes, “the capacity to voluntarily bring back a wandering attention, over and over again is the very root of judgment, character, and will.”

This month see how many times you can reclaim your attention from a moment of distraction and plant a seed of virtue in its place.

Happy gardening,
Ryan