Concentration

Our life is hectic. Even more, our mind is restlessly moving. Our inner state is often noticeable for outsiders as well. When we are nervous or have difficulty being calm, this is reflected in our behavior. We move around, change position, look around, do our typical gestures, or otherwise keep in motion. All of these are just reflections of our inner perpetual mover— our mind. In other words, we have a very short concentration span. Therefore, thinking is also very difficult. It requires us to focus on one particular aspect and keep our mind fixed on the item we are processing.

Concentration can be taught. We can train our mind to become more controllable and under our will. Better concentration enables us to perform our daily life better, thus helping us to learn better and faster. We can observe, analyze, and perceive more clearly. Being able to focus on one thing at a time means that our effort can be directed to the very item we are dealing with and all our capacity is dedicated to the task at hand. Reading a book or listening to a lecture is easier if we are not distracted by other thoughts or surrounding stimuli. A distracted mind can be compared to a light bulb. It radiates in all directions and, therefore, loses its illuminative power, thanks to a lack of focus. A concentrated mind is like a laser beam; it is very precise and powerful.

Clear and precise thoughts require a concentrated mind. Good speech or articulation is based on focused effort and well-prepared concepts. Concentration helps us communicate and be better understood. But how do we accomplish it? We need practice. And even more patience. One cannot become masters overnight. Our mind requires continuous exercise and training. This can be done at various levels, but the good thing is that almost no matter what we do we can turn it into a concentration practice. An easy start is to stop doing many things at once. Turn off the radio if you're writing or checking your e-mail. Or listen to the radio, but don't do anything else—perform only one task at a time.

Training our memory is as important as improving our concentration. Our mind and concentration are interlinked. Stop making shopping lists and use your memory instead. Also, when you catch your mind wandering from the topic you're thinking about, try to trace back your route to discover how you got distracted. Acknowledge at every moment what you're doing. If you are walking or driving, concentrate on doing this task. Gradually, you will become better and more concentrated without an effort. By fragmenting our concentration, we do many things poorly. Top artists and athletes need total concentration to be successful—and they practice a lot. Why shouldn't we?