Attention Ain’t Cheap

When we talk about what we choose to focus on, we say we pay attention. Whether we are billionaires or don't have two cents to rub together, all of us get to choose what to pay attention to. Our attention is a resource that no one has a claim on but ourselves. We get to decide to whom or to what we pay with our attention. We have to ask ourselves, does this person or organization or activity or object really deserve to be paid with our attention? Is giving some of our most fundamental and most precious and ultimately finite resource worth it? If we wouldn't ever think about giving our time or money to a bully or an enemy, then why would we pay them with our attention? If fear has kicked down the door and is making all kinds of demands, the last thing that makes sense is to pay an emotion that is making us miserable. The minute we stop paying it is going to leave, because fear doesn't work for free. Hate, anger, pettiness, jealousy - none of these work for free and if we stop paying them with our attention then they are going to leave. We have a limited amount of attention, so we should always focus on paying our attention to the things that are going to make us the happiest and be of the most worth.