“Where attention goes, energy flows.” – James Redfield, author of The Celestine Prophecy
Do you remember The Celestine Prophecy? I sure do! It was one of the highest-grossing books at the time. That time was 1993. I was a freshman in college, reading it and pretending to be a pseudo-psychologist, with the world all figured out. Short for: I knew nothing but pretended I knew everything.
Fast forward more years than I care to count, and here I sit today, fully embracing the fact that although we may know some things, because time does breed wisdom if we care to learn from its passage, the likelihood of truly knowing, with certainty, diminishes the more discerning we become. Short for: The more you learn, the less you know.
This rumination begs the question: What can we know for sure?
After countless conversations with leaders, I return to “Where attention goes, energy flows.”
This simple yet potent principle reveals how our focus directly influences our reality, shaping not only our perceptions but our tangible outcomes in life.
When we direct our attention toward something—whether a goal, relationship, or problem—we automatically channel our mental, emotional, and physical resources in that direction. All three of these resources are in limited supply and must be managed and directed at all times. To exhaust them fruitlessly does a disservice to the real problem and disrespects your energy reserves. BOOM.
Consider how your attention operates as both a spotlight and a magnifying glass. Your attention illuminates what might otherwise remain in darkness while simultaneously amplifying its significance in our lives. The objects of our consistent attention inevitably grow, develop, and evolve—whether positive or negative.
Begging the second question: Is your attention where it needs to be to produce the results you want?
This principle explains why successful people are vigilant about their attentional habits. They deliberately cultivate awareness of where their focus gravitates and redirect it toward constructive purposes. They recognize that attention is perhaps our most valuable and limited resource.
What we collectively attend to flourishes; what we ignore often withers. Recognizing this relationship empowers us to become conscious architects of our behaviors and thoughts rather than passive participants reacting to our circumstances.
Attention and energy will be this month’s focus topic, so get ready to think about how you’re currently managing your attention and energy reserves.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you to ruminate on two final quotes from two very different icons.
“You’re better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve.” – Marcus Aurelius
“If it doesn’t matter in five years, it doesn’t matter.” – Cher
