Does your mind wander at times when you should be focused. Have you had someone give you directions or share something personal only to discover that you haven’t heard one thing that person was saying? As with any other skill in life it takes practice and training to sharpen your minds ability to focus and concentrate. Here are 5 exercises for building your concentration muscle.

The mind does not like discipline and focus. It loves to divert our attention from things that we should be paying attention to. Ever been to a business meeting and as you were being introduced to someone of importance you immediately forgot their name? And to make things worse you spent another ten minutes not focused on the meeting taking place. Only to still be distracted while trying to remember that persons name.

Our mind mixed with emotions can be two very powerful distractions. They can keep us from being on time. They can tempt us to overeat or over spend. Your mind can take away confidence and prevent you from trying new things for fear of failure. But these are all things created in our minds to prevent us from taking action. Some thoughts can be paralyzing if we let them. Mastering our concentration by exercise and practice can help us to achieve our goals and keep us focused on the important issues of the day.

By practicing these simple exercises you can train your mind to serve you instead of it running rampant with confusion and misguided direction. We are not the mind or the thoughts that pass through it. The mind is a tool for us to use and should be exercised regularly. Find a quiet place and breath deeply. Start by trying the exercise for ten minutes working your way up to fifteen minutes total.

1. Take a book and count the words in a paragraph. Count a second time for accuracy. Count the words in your head with your eyes only. Do not point at the words. After you’re able to count a paragraph try counting a whole page.
2. From 100, count backwards in your mind down to 1.
3. From 100, count backwards in your mind down to 1 skipping three numbers 100..97..94..etc.
4. Choose a word that is inspiring and silently repeat that word over in your mind. Stay focused on that word and try to concentrate for ten minutes. I like to use the word Love.
5. Take a piece of fruit orange, banana, apple, and hold it in your hands. Examine the fruit from all angles and keep your mind focused on the fruit. The trick to this exercise is to not let your mind wander into thinking of the fruits nutritional value or where it was grown from. Stay calm and just observe these thoughts while taking no interest in them.

Try these exercises for a week. You will see yourself with more control over your thoughts with a greater ability to focus.