Attention Expands Awareness
If you’ve played tennis for a few years, you can look back at when you started and realize that you’ve improved quite a bit. The same is true for anything you’ve practiced and learned. Language, for example—from “goo-goo-ga-ga” to “hello, I am stupendously good at learning anything I want to learn.”
Ask yourself: when you spend time doing something, what is actually taking place?
Can we learn without giving attention to what we are doing? Put another way, can we truly learn if our attention is elsewhere?
Your attention to experiences makes you aware. Let’s examine this. Pick a topic you don’t know but want to learn. What would you need to do to make it happen? You’d need to put your attention into that field.
Want to get better at your chosen topic? You’ll need to keep directing attention to it. That attention—including attention to the feedback of your senses—is what lets you become familiar with everything related to what you’re doing.
Take a student learning to hit topspin for the first time. Conceptually, they’ve already been exposed to the idea of a topspin shot. A mental image might exist from watching other players hit topspin, or from seeing their coach demonstrate it right before they try it themselves.
The next step is for the student to try it out. The coordination and feel might not click at first. But attention is being given to creating spin on the ball.
Through progressive exercises, the student continues giving attention to shots with spin. Their senses are engaged, and with each attempt they come closer to understanding what’s happening and how it works. That is simply attention given to an experience (putting spin on the ball). The result is expanded awareness of how to do it. After giving enough attention, the player feels comfortable hitting with spin. They understand how it works, how to do it, and can adjust as needed to execute.
The formula is simple: you have your attention, and through your attention you expand your awareness. From the moment you plopped into this world as a baby, you’ve been using your attention to grow your awareness.
Since it’s natural for us to learn and get better, here are some takeaways to remember:
You can always trust yourself to learn and improve through attention and awareness.
Use your attention on what is, without interpretations (thoughts that label things).
If something isn’t working, let go of frustration by remembering the big picture: it’s in your nature to improve. Mastery will come—it doesn’t matter when—as long as you give consistent attention.
You never need to force results. Awareness expands without forcing.
The best part is your attention is free, always available, and fully under your direction. You can always direct it where you want and become more aware.