CONCENTRATION

                                                      CONCENTRATION

       On a hot sunny day, the most powerful magnifying glass will not burn the paper if you keep moving the glass. Nevertheless, if you focus at one point, the paper has to burn. This is the power of concentration.

        The ability to direct all your effort and attention on one thing at a time without thinking of anything else is your power to concentrate.

        Whenever we start a new piece of work, the first thing needed for the work to keep going in proper manner is our attention and concentration on that work. If we do our work with our mind somewhere else, then we cannot complete the work properly. Any work is completely and properly finished only when it is done with full concentration and determination. It is said that we should do only one piece of work at a time and while doing it we should think exclusively about it without diverting our mind towards anything else. This is because when we try to do two things at the same time, our attention and concentration is divided and neither is completed properly.

    The difference between a good student and weak student is determined by his power of concentration. In the class where all students are taught the same thing, why is it that only a few of them are able to perform well during their examination. The reply is their inability to focus on their subject. Studying hard, learning the chapters and the forgetting. This situation commonly occurs with most of the students. This is the result of not studying with full concentration. While studying, their attention and concentration is sometimes diverted to other things like the programs being shown on the television, friends playing outside, phone calls, and the food being cooked in the kitchen or anything else. Due to lack of concentration, they forget whatever they had learned and their time is wasted.

          A small child of three or four years is able to memorize the latest film songs with great ease and happiness but the same child it boring and extremely difficult, when asked to memorize the schoolwork. This is because the child is not interested in learning his lessons. When you do not have interest in something, you are not able to concentrate on it. Remember, to concentrate on something you first need to create your interest in that work. Only then you can enjoy doing your work.

          A forty-eight years old gentleman said his prayers every morning at seven. Often he noticed that as he stood in front of God and tries to visualize His image in his mind, many unrelated thoughts such as the past happenings, things to be done during the day, office meetings, etc. came on the screen of his mind. He tried his level best not to think about them, but they kept coming back repeatedly. This was his daily problem. However, he never gives up. Every morning he prayed and tried not to think about anything that could distract him. Later on, his problem was totally solved.

          This story tells us that there may be many obstacles on your way to success, but you should concentrate only on your goal. Unless you concentrate on your goal, you cannot achieve it. It can be difficult for you to concentrate, but it is skill that can always be practiced.

          MEDITATION

          All the external parts of the body are relaxed when sleep or take rest but for relaxation of the mind and heart one needs to meditate. Only through meditation, we can achieve complete peace of mind. It helps us to awaken our inner powers. During meditation, one enters into a unique state of mind, which is very beneficial for the body. It is also helps the nervous systems in a normal may. Now, the question may arise in your mind that through meditation has many benefits, how can it help us to improve our power of concentration.

          In meditation, the rays of the mind are focused at a fixed point. It is difficult to concentrate in such a way but as one keeps practicing, it becomes easy. As I said earlier, everything is difficult in the beginning. If you keep meditating regularly, you yourself will find a change in you. Slowly, due to this practice, your power of concentration will improve. There is a Latin proverb, ''If you run after two hares you will catch neither.''

          Whatever work one has to do; the most vital requirement is to do it with complete concentration. Usually while working on the things, we start thinking about something else. It could either be about a personal matter, about a conversation one recently had or about some recent happenings. While working on one thing, our mind gets diverted to many other things. REMEMBER, we have one mind that can be do everything but should be used for only one job at a time. We should avoid diverting our mind from the main job towards other topics.

          I know it is not as easy to do as it write about it, but there is a technique to get rid of such problems. Such as.

·       Take a novel, storybook or magazine. Sit down quietly and let the music system play on; let it play some of your favorite songs. Now, you have to read the book without diverting mind towards the song being played. Concentrate on the reading material and try not to listen to the music. You not only have to read but even understand what you are reading. Let the music not divert your mind from the material that you reading. Your complete attention should be on the book and your ears should deaf to the music.

·       Place a table clock on your television set. Switch on the TV to a music channel and let the volume be a bit loud. Sit a few steps away from the TV set. Now, try to concentrate on the clock. Observe the seconds ticking by. Keep all your attention on it as it keeps ticking on. Let your mind not to divert to the music or the video being played on the TV below.

          Initially, it will be difficult for you but as you keep practicing it will gradually start getting better. You can start by practicing for 2 minute each day and keep increasing the time as per you wish and control. The basic idea is to focus on only one thing at the time, leaving everything else aside. The more you practice; the more will your level of concentration go up?

          You can perform any activity you wish but it should not have so much control over you that it can divert your concentration away from your goal.