Where Your Intention Goes, Your Attention Follows
Intention is one of the most powerful forces there is. What you mean when you do a thing will always determine the outcome. The law creates the world— Brenna Yovanoff
As someone who is constantly juggling a million different things at once, I’ve learned the importance of focus. When your attention is divided, it’s so easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated. That’s why I’m a big believer in setting intentions for each day. By knowing what you want to accomplish, you can better focus your energy on what’s important. And thankfully, research has shown that this approach can be successful too! In one study, participants were able to achieve more when they set daily intentions, rather than trying to accomplish a lot all at once. So if you’re feeling like you’re struggling to get things done, try setting some intentions for yourself—I promise it’ll make a difference.
Here, most of us go by the mantra, “the only way to improve is to play against better opponents.” This isn’t wrong. But it’s not exactly right either. As I often say to myself, many roads lead to Rome. Some are easier than others; some make you pay more in time and effort, but all will get you there.
We agree that practicing with strong players most effectively improves, but what does “practicing” actually mean? If it means playing games, then this implies something about the nature of your practice session: it’s not sufficient to show up and play. It would help if you had a goal, a mission other than winning the next game that you’re going to play. It would help if you had an Intention behind each move you make. And as it turns out, where your intention goes, your attention follows.
In order to be aware of our environment, we must learn how keep an eye on what’s going around us at all times. Martially-inclined people are constantly on guard, always aware of their surroundings. Not only do they have to be mindful about what’s going on near them but also far away from wherever you happen stand in relation with other individuals or objects around your location at any given moment – it could potentially save one’s life! This makes perfect sense in a real fight, where you don’t get to choose your opponent. You could get attacked from any direction, and if your mind is occupied with something else (such as winning the match), then you’re likely going to get hurt.
Read : Intention, Attention, No Tension: 3 Tips to Master the Law of Attraction
To deal effectively with an attack coming from any direction, you need to be present at the moment, with your intention focused on what’s happening right now. This doesn’t mean that you can’t plan for the future; it just means that if you’re not paying attention to what’s happening right at this very instant, then it will be harder to deal with any possible threats.
The same is true in life. You can’t always choose what move to make. Still, by maintaining awareness of the situation at all times (i.e., not losing focus), you’ll be able to respond naturally and intuitively to whatever arises. But if your intention isn’t present, then your attention will be elsewhere; it’s natural for your attention to follow your purpose. It can’t do anything else—the brain doesn’t have separate mechanisms for processing the world with and without your intention.
To become aware of this natural dynamic, you must first understand that what you intend is a powerful determinant of where and how you direct your attention. If you want to win, you’re likely to pay more attention. If you intend to attack, then your focus will most likely be on trying to create opportunities for attacking moves.
The problem with this is that your attention will follow your intention when your intention doesn’t match up with what’s happening. This creates an illusion of knowledge about the world, which isn’t there—you think you know more than you do. We’ve all had this experience before: you play a move that seems right but feels slightly off for some reason, so you reject it and instead play another option that feels better in your mind. You justify the move later with a logic that seems reasonable, but you just can’t put your finger on what it is that’s holding you back from playing the first option. Maybe if you had done it, there would have been a follow-up at another point, leading to disaster.
When your intention doesn’t match what’s on the board, your attention will follow your purpose. And if this happens enough times during a game, then you’re going to lose that game because of a misperception of reality that was created by yourself.
Read: How to Harness the Power of Intention and Use It to Your Advantage
You can change your habits by being mindful of the type of attention you are giving to them. It may feel like a Herculean task, but it’s not impossible with some practice and dedication. The more aware that we are about what our thoughts are focused on, the more control we have over how they shape who we become in life. So next time you find yourself lost in thought or ruminating on something negative, make an effort to stop for a moment and think about where else your intention could go instead? What is possible when you decide to focus on positive things rather than negativity? Give it a try!