Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Relaxed attention

If you wish to copy a drawing by hand, you’ll improve the accuracy of your copy by first turning the original upside down. Try it, and discover how it focuses your attention on the actual lines and curves, and prevents you from being overly judgmental about how well you’re doing.

Plenty of other things in your life can benefit from more relaxed attention and less opinionated judgment. You can free up much time and mental energy by letting go of the need to have so many opinions.

Sure, to function in life you need to have a well-developed perspective. But that doesn’t require you to carry around a truckload of opinions on every little issue.

Is it really necessary to conduct an extensive internal dialogue about every person you encounter? Perhaps you’d be better served, and much better liked, by attentively listening to what that person is saying.

Give your opinionating a rest, and give life the opportunity to unfold in front of you. Stop over-analyzing everything you come across, and give yourself the chance to simply enjoy it.

Improve the accuracy of what you observe. Actually look at, listen to, and experience what you experience rather than placing so many judgments on it all.

— Ralph Marston

Prepared to be patient       Give goodness

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