Lesson: In our journey with ‘The Focused Reader,’ let’s explore a concept I learned from a meditation course that applies beautifully to reading: using feathers, anchors, and forgiveness to enhance focus. First, the feather. When you find your mind wandering while reading, imagine lightly touching that distracting thought with a feather. This gentle acknowledgment letsContinue reading Day 3 – Feathers, Anchors, and Forgiveness
Day 3 – Feathers, Anchors, and Forgiveness
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It is getting easier to read. I noted about the 12 minute mark in my mind started to drift a bit more than the first 11 minutes. It’s raining today so part of my distraction was actually hearing the rain hitting the window. It was able to use that feather method to keep me on track.
I did not experience any anchors, that I’m aware of. I was very focused and I’m thankful for the timer, which makes it easier to read for a longer period of time.
Forgiveness came in the form of my focus on keeping my Ford advancement. But I mean is that I didn’t let the light things (rain, cat, running across my lap, a few current issues that are pending, etc.) from taking me away from reading more than a second or two. I was OK with this. Generally, I get very frustrated when I can’t stay on track. This reminder to forgive is very useful
There was some mind-wandering today – especially when a UPS delivery interrupted my flow (my wife wasn’t available to deal with the delivery) – and I just had some thoughts racing about what was a relatively busy day. But nothing too drastic.
I completely agree with the idea of bringing yourself back to full attention gently. I would argue that there’s nothing “woo-woo” about it at all. I’m a longtime meditator and have learned the only way to deal with monkey mind is to gently re-establish my focus without hitting myself over the head with a hammer. I don’t use the image of a feather, but the concept is the same.
I like the feathers idea to gently remind me to turn my attention back to my reading