One of your most valuable resources. And it's free.
One of your most valuable resources. And it's free.
#19 - lots and lots of hockey
Hi there.
How’s it going? Been a busy week? Still going with the resolutions? (I’m trying to be useful as a form of an accountability partner) I am still eating mindfully but yoga hasn’t transpired yet.
It’s been a not quite hectic but not tranquil week for me. I had a near-perfect week of hockey participation, with Thursday’s weather cancelling Thursday’s training. I had afterschool training on Monday, a game for school on Wednesday (lost 0-2), a men’s game on Saturday (lost 1-3) and my first U16 game for Sutton Coldfield HC this morning (lost 0-2). Results-wise, not great but quoting my friend who’s just been, very excitingly, selected for England U16 hockey,
I believe your own performance and progress is most important. Winning is just a bonus.
Apart from that, the orthodontist had my braces tightened this week, opting for a tighter wire to increase alignment. I’ve also been plotting 2 things: logarithmic graphs at school and the next 4 months at home.
I don’t know what sparked the thought in my mind (if only we could invent a camera to record the mind so that we can watch back) but I had a brainwave of sorts back in India
Why do we say that we need to ‘pay’ attention?
Have you ever stopped to think about that? We hear the command “Pay attention!” a lot or the criticism that “You weren’t paying attention” quite a bit but why does it have to be paid?
The answer is that attention is, in fact, a currency. It’s invisible, we earn it for free and have it in bucketfuls (although you can boost it using meditation, not multitasking etc). I’m not denying that some have better focus than others but we still have notable amounts that we get to choose how to ‘spend’. Again, the use of language to describe money about stuff that isn’t money! We say ‘spend time’.
Along with attention, we have another resource: time. We all have 168 hours, whether you’re Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, the hairdresser in town or you’re you. It’s how we spend and split it that matters.
The model that we have an internal bank account of attention can be extended to the external world. Videos, images, advertisements and people all want to rob our banks. Social media, as we all know very well, is hacking into our livelihoods. Ads are designed to suck you in because for those behind them, the companies, your attention converts into monetary value.
But looking on the brighter side, a core principle for me, especially behind this newsletter, this revelation means that this precious commodity is yours to ascertain who or what deserves a part of it. And you get it for free. How amazing is that? You are in complete control of how you budget out your attention. You can choose to read a book over lying in bed, racing to get to the non-existent basement on Instagram.
Here’s a feature I’m going to be ending all these ‘Rays of Sunlight’. A clinching sentence to cap off the message. Think of it as the end of the ray that actually warms, comforts you. It’s the part that you should hold on to:
Place higher value to your attention. You get to ‘pay’ it, like money, so save it actively, invest it thoughtfully, borrow it carefully and spend it wisely.
Another one I thought about was energy. This one might be overlooked but if you aren’t fully awake or motivated, it’s going to be a tough day. I would’ve ended up writing about Time, Energy and Attention, the 3 pillars of productivity according to Asian Efficiency, a website I know about. They’ve got a practical-advice-based podcast and some useful articles so have a look if you fancy.
Book of the week 📖
I’ve been continuing pacing through Fermat’s Last Theorem. The plan is to move on to the world-famous Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Podcast of the week🎙️
Overheard snippets of this when my mum made my sister have a viewing of this. A beautiful conversation with golden coins snuck in between.
Article of the week📰
WhatsApp key settings you need to change now to keep your messages secure from new scam
Not the best source in the world but you can never be too secure.
Quote of the week💬
“Today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.” - Ken Poirot
Have a successful, attentive week ahead.
Adi