Every Object

Today for our Daily Mind Game, we will continue to focus on focusing; and, like previously, our task will attempt to integrate a mind game we practiced before into our daily routine.  In the one object challenge, we tried to maintain attention on a single object and observe that object in excruciating detail.  Today, we're going to apply that mentality to every object as a mental strategy for increasing our interest in the simple things that make up our experience.  Prepare yourself for a cliche: we're stopping to smell the roses...



Every Object


Task: Treat each object you encounter as an object of interest.

Info: In a similar spirit to yesterday's challenge, the purpose of today's game is to use observation as a metacognitive trick to distract our inner voice (our homunculus) and keep him or her on task.  We don't want our homunculi taking over and getting us out of the zone!  When our inner voice starts whining, block it out by focusing on the interesting objects around you.

For example, my homunculus is always blurting: "There's so much to do!!  AHHHHHHH!!!!  What do we do next, I can't decide!!!  Let's just ball up in the fetal position and do nothing until this all blows over, k?"  Instead of giving in to these unproductive wails, I will instead respond: "Look how beautiful this fork is, it's so shiny and perfectly suited to it's task - I love utensils!"  Just an example...

Goal: Minimize times of negative thinking by extracting joy from the everyday.  Just start examining the objects around you as if you're seeing them for the first time.

I like to think of this challenge as a form of "mindfulness all the time".  Personally, I frequently get caught up in a "go-go-go" sort of state, with my worries being a main motivator.  This challenge let's your mind take little breaks from this "mission mode", as my wife refers to it, and wring some happiness from all the cool stuff in the world.  But don't take my word for it, ask Ringo:


Links: Return to the Week of Empathy - Move to the next Daily Mind Game

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