Improving or increasing concentration is not a one-time problem.
It’s a problem that you face every moment of your waking life.
So, a one-off solution is not going to help. You need a solution that not just solves the problem in different situations, but also creates an impactful, long-term and life-changing effect.
Here is a solution that is going to help you build a laser-like focus. So, let’s get started.
Why I’m not able to concentrate
It’s the most common problem people face. Some consciously think that they need to improve their concentration. But, for most people, they don’t even know there’s a lack of concentration that’s hurting their life.
They feel they don’t have enough energy and carry a sad face. They don’t know the root of the problem and they fight in the dark. There’s always an unconscious struggle within.
Lack of concentration is a problem that needs an immediate solution for everyone.
Students have many subjects to study, but their mind is craving to go out and play. Professionals have a lot of pending work, but they cannot put their mind into the work.
You see here, their initial problem is not even concentrating. The real problem is getting the work started.
During my college days, whenever there was an exam, a friend of mine would do something strange. Whenever we decided to sit and begin to study, he would open his suitcase and start cleaning it up. And it would take an hour. That was his first ritual before starting to prepare for an exam.
And when I thought about it, I realized I also did something like that. Whenever I have something to write, I get tea, watch some YouTube or do some research on the web. And tell myself that these are all preparations for my writing.
But, they’re not. These are delay tactics employed by my mind. Are you not doing these kinds of rituals that only delay your actual task?
If you’re doing that often, consider these two things:
First, there’s a lot of unconscious actions happening within your mind. And these random actions are preventing you from focusing your mind on one action.
The second one is, your mind DOES NOT want you to find focus. (Why so? I will explain in a while.)
This leads us to a crucial question…
What is the mind?
This question is crucial. Because if you understand what mind is, then you’ll know the root of the problem.
First of all, understand that your mind is not you. You’re a different entity using the mind. The mind is an instrument that you use, and you are not the instrument itself.
Next, the mind is not the brain. (Yes, some people don’t know the difference.) It’s not a physical entity but an entity that you call it yours.
So what is the mind? The mind is simply a flux of random thoughts.
That’s why Yogis say the mind doesn’t exist. Because when there are no thoughts, there’s no mind.
If you ask how do you exist without the mind, a simple answer is you’re beyond your mind. When there’s no mind, when there’s no thought, your pure consciousness is operating. But that’s an ideal situation. That’s a different journey.
Let’s get back to solving the immediate problem.
Scientists say you and I think about 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day. That’s about 50 thoughts per minute. And about 1 thought per second?
I don’t think it’s that simple.
The mind is a flux, and every second wave of thoughts are moving in different layers of the mind. Some you recognize and some pass without you noticing them. You catch some of them and spend time with those thoughts — and call them YOUR thoughts.
They were not your thoughts. They were some passing random thoughts. From the moment you own the thoughts, they begin to influence your actions – both physical and mental.
Now the next question is, how can you catch only some thoughts and not all of them? Is there a pattern to these thoughts that you catch?
If you observe carefully, you don’t catch any random thought. You catch only a type of or a pattern of thoughts.
If you have a habit of thinking sad thoughts, you catch sad thoughts easily. If you’re a happiness seeker, you identify only positive aspects of every situation.
And the thoughts that you catch depend on your personality type. The personality type you’ve developed over the years of your life.
Because you have enjoyed thinking about them, now it has become a habit for you to think only those patterns of thoughts (Some people easily catch fearful, depressing, jealous (collectively called negative thoughts…).
Power of thoughts
Until now we discussed what is mind, what are thoughts and how individuals have their own pattern of thoughts.
Now, let’s see the power of thoughts and how they influence the world.
Basically, thoughts themselves are not powerful. Thoughts that pass through your mind are very random and contradicting in nature. (If you just observe them, they pass like waves, and behind them come more thoughts.)
Let’s see how these thoughts are random in nature. Let’s say, you think that you want a new car. If you have that one strong and pure thought, many doors open for you. You’ll find a way to get that car.
But, as soon as you think of owning a car, there’s an opposite thought that you don’t have enough money to buy that car. Or that you don’t need that car for now. Even while you’re thinking all this, some more random thoughts are passing aimlessly through your mind.
Because of this kind of multiple and directionless thoughts, you’re not able to create powerful intentions.
When there are no powerful thoughts and intentions, you cannot create new things. No miracles happen in your life.
Also, because this random thinking has become a habit, you’ve lost the ability to focus.
Now, if you really want to develop the power of concentration, you’ll have to create a new habit of thinking.
And that begins by making efforts to understand, analyse your current thought pattern. And then choosing what you want to think.
But there’s a nature of the mind that you can use to develop new thought patterns.
And that nature is – you can bend it by choosing to think new thoughts. And thinking those thoughts more often to make it habitual.
So, when you choose a new thought habit and work on it consciously for a few days, your mind will soon adjust itself to the new pattern. Soon, without your conscious effort, your mind will start catching the new pattern of thoughts.
For example, you want to become a singer. But, there are opposing thoughts that you don’t have that talent.
Now, you decide to create a thought pattern of you becoming a singer. (Try it as an experiment, without stressing yourself.)
Keep that desire for a few days. Imagine yourself singing. If you do that sincerely, your mind will prompt you to spend more time singing and listening to good music.
Wherever you go you will see hoardings of music concerts on the road, music stores on the street and you will begin to notice music-related news in the newspaper and magazines. (Those hoardings, music stores and news stories were always there. But because you started a new thought pattern, they’re becoming clearly visible to you.)
If you now compare with your life a few days back, you’ll find that a new life blossoming around you. And it all started with a single act of working on your thoughts.
Observe what is happening with your life from now on.
People interested in music begin to appear in your life. You will soon become a part of a community that loves music. And these people become a strength for you and your music career.
See how powerful your thoughts are?
You didn’t consciously think of a community that loves music or visualised people coming into your life. You focused on music and those thoughts created a world around you.
(This is how the Law of Attraction works. But, you don’t need to directly work with the law of attraction and force things to happen.)
I can give you more examples of how your thoughts if focused properly, can impact your life. But for now, just understand that your thoughts have the power to change the world around you. But if you focus on changing the world, you have deviated from your purpose. Don’t worry about the results. Now, let’s move on to…
How to create thought patterns
There is one secret you need to know at this point – you don’t need to CLEAR old thought patterns to create new ones.
In case of a blackboard, you need to rub off what is already written on it before writing something new. But with the mind, you can directly start writing new ones. The old ones will fade away by automatically.
To create a new pattern, the first step is to calm your mind. There are many ways to calm the mind, like meditation, intense work and practising systematic breathing.
Once you feel you’ve a calm mind, start thinking new thoughts. As discussed in the previous example, start thinking about your music career.
Remember, don’t begin by thinking that you are a great musician. The Law of Attraction teachers teach this method. But it is a difficult path. It’s overwhelming and you will soon feel tired. When you’re creating a new thought pattern, start slow.
If you are trying to create a pattern of being a sportsperson, begin by watching the sport that you are interested in. Focus on one kind of game. If you want to be a footballer, for the time being, don’t watch other games like badminton or volleyball.
Start reading about the game and people who have achieved great heights in that game. That way, you’re strengthening your new thought pattern.
If you continue to do this, soon your mind will create more avenues and opportunities for you to go in this field. You become more knowledgeable than other people in the field.
And after some time, you don’t need to consciously force yourself into this thought pattern. The mind has become habituated, and it will take you further. As time passes by, you will become an unstoppable force that’s moving towards creating wonders.
Note: There is one thing I want to clarify at this juncture. When I started telling you about focusing on your interest, I didn’t tell you to – go to a secluded place or to NOT watch TV or to NOT meet negative people.
I didn’t tell you about things you should NOT do.
You know why?
Most people do it the wrong way.
Whenever people want to build focus first start by fighting with their current thought patterns. They force themselves to STOP watching TV or to STOP having junk food.
Remember what I said about the blank board?
Don’t try to erase the old writing. Don’t try to remove the old thought patterns.
Because when you try to remove old patterns, you’re actually concentrating on them. And giving them more energy with your focus. And the more energy you give them, the more it becomes difficult to erase them.
Don’t worry about the current pattern. If you are obsessed with TV, Netflix or junk food, let them be there. Just focus on what you want now. Soon you will see that your old obsessions will begin to subside.
Remember, your mind does not recognise your words. It recognises your focus. So don’t struggle with the Don’ts.
So, how long do you need to focus on new thoughts to make them permanent?
It takes 21 days to create a new pattern.
For a lot of people, focusing for 21 days is a struggle. But see it’s a challenge for your commitment. If something is going to change your whole life, are you not willing to commit for the next 21 days?
If you fail in the beginning, start again from the first day. This way, you’re concentrating more and giving more power to yourself. And your power of commitment becomes stronger.
And the more committed you are, the more respected you will become in society. Remember how society respects committed people?
Have you not observed this? People who are illiterate, poor and those who cannot speak a sentence properly become popular leaders. How? Commitment Boss.
So 21 days.
And this is the problem with the majority of people. They lack commitment. And if you want to grow above the mass, you’ll have to commit to your self-development.
Did I inspire you enough? Now, let’s move onto the next part.
How creating a new thought pattern builds you a personality
Your personality is what you think, what you do and what you care for. This is what the world sees in you.
As long as you are entertaining hundreds of thoughts, you are clueless about what to do. You don’t know what to respect, what values to stand for. You are just a confused personality. That means you have nothing to offer to the world but more confusion.
Some people may love you and others hate you, but if you have clear thoughts and goals, the world looks at you with awe and respect. Continuously breathing proper, uniform and intense thoughts give uniqueness to your personality.
The thought pattern you cultivate crystalizes your personality traits. And they directly influence your actions.
Some people have a crystalized negative personality. If you observe them, they always find negative sides of people, events and always complain. For them, even if great things are happening in their life, they can’t recognize them. Because they have tuned themselves to negativity.
If you have built a positive personality, even in the darkest night you will be able to see the light. That’s because you have trained your mind to see only the light.
When you are that kind of a person, people who are seeking the light desperately start coming to you. Because you are their hope.
Now let’s go to our primary question.
How to improve concentration?
With everything you have read above, you have understood the following:
Concentration is not focusing on things that distract you
Concentration is not forcing yourself into something that is an interesting
Building concentration is about transforming your complete thought patterns. It’s about creating a personality for whom focusing is a natural inclination.
Now, I have a question for you – what type of methods did you practice to develop concentration? And how did it work for you?
Write your comment below.