Ever spent a day feeling totally drained, but when you thought back on it, you hadn’t really done anything that taxing? Or been so caught up in a project you loved that hours flew by like minutes and you finished it feeling energized, not drained?
No coincidence. It’s the clear reflection of a simple yet powerful truth: Energy flows where attention goes.
We like to think of our energy as a finite battery that’s depleted by tasks. But what if it’s not so much a battery as a river? You can’t stop a river from flowing, but you get to choose where to direct it. Wherever you’re focusing is where the current of your mental, emotional, and creative energy will flow.
What Are You Watering?
Imagine your mind as a garden. Your attention is water. When you water something a concern, a goal, a social media feed, a creative project you are watering the corresponding plants.
Watering worries? You’ll have a lush garden of anxiety.
Watering resentment? You’ll have thick weeds of anger.
Watering your goals? You’ll nurture the seeds of success.
Watering gratitude? You’ll have beautiful flowers of joy.
The garden will grow regardless. Your choice is what it grows.
It’s one thing to understand the principle; it’s another to put it into practice. Our attention is being pulled a dozen different directions at all times by notifications, distractions, and old habits. Here’s how you can start to intentionally guide your flow.
Audit Your Attention. Simply pay attention for a day. Where does your mind wander when it’s not on task? What are the applications you mindlessly open? What topics dominate your internal monologue? Don’t judge, simply observe. You can’t change what you’re not aware of.
Deliberately Choose Your Focus. You cannot stop a thought from coming, but you can deny giving in to it. When you find yourself obsessing over something that drains you (a worry about the future, a regret about the past), be aware of it, then consciously change direction. Ask yourself: “Is this thought serving me?” If not, deliberately focus on something that does. This could be:
· Your next tiny step on a project.
· Three things you’re grateful for right now.
· The physical sensation of your breath.
Design Your Environment for Focus. Your willpower is limited.Make it easier for your attention to flow in the right direction by curating your environment.
· Remove distractions: Use website blockers during work hours, put your phone in another room, or create a dedicated, tidy workspace.
· Use cues: Keep your guitar in the stand, instead of the closet. Keep a book beside your bed. Keep your running shoes by the door. These visual cues push your attention towards your priorities.
Mind the Inputs. What you take in is fuel for your brain.
A regular diet of negative news, social comparison, and mindless scrolling is like hydrating your garden with soda. It might be tantalizing, but it won’t help anything grow. Be ruthless about curating your feeds and consumption habits. Feed your concentration with content that inspires, educates, and uplifts you.
A single day of concentrated effort will not change your life. But the compounding effect of doing that daily is huge.
The work you put into your craft compounds into mastery. The work you put into your relationships compounds into intimacy. The work you put into your body compounds into health. The work you put into worry compounds into stress.
You’re always putting your energy somewhere. The question is, are you putting it into creating the life that you desire, or are you leaking it on things you have no control over and that don’t even matter?
Take a pause today. Look inward and ask, “Where is my attention flowing in this moment?” And then, softly, draw it back to what’s most vital. Your energy will follow. And where your energy flows, your life will develop.
Thee Juju Aura 