Rule 4 for Flourishing: Attention= Enjoyment

Focusing on something with all of our attention brings enjoyment.  This may not happen instantly.  I need to focus right now on two things I really don’t want to do.  The first is taxes.  I know, I’m late but I did get an extension.  Problem is, my schedule is breathless right up to the October deadline, so I have to do them now.  I don’t use an accountant (my husband is a tax lawyer and figures he knows more about taxes than any accountant) but do use a software program.  Still, I have to organize my records, subtotal all of my categories and enter all my information.  I hate starting.  Once I’m at the computer, though, I find that I enjoy the challenge of the work.

The second task I must do is carefully focus on the competencies and assignments for a leadership course I wrote to be sure they align.  This seems like real busywork, even though I can see the wisdom in it.  I don’t want to comb through each week’s assignments and make sure that they fit with what I said students would learn that week.  But in order to keep my job I have to.  Once I start, I’m sure the task will not be nearly as arduous and boring as I think it will be.

The point here is not to do the things we don’t like to do.  The point is to focus on the things we do with all of our attention.  Buddhist monks are really good at this.  When they are tested during meditation–with their heads all wired up like those pictures of old time permanents for women–neurologists find that the part of the brain that enables them to focus is lit up like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

I’ve already described in Rule 3 that focused activity leads to FLOW.  It also leads to enjoyment, if not while you are collecting travel receipts, well at least while you are following their trail through your tax return.