“The Gift of Your Attention,” For the Strength of Youth, Apr. 2023.
The Gift of Your Attention
Your ability to pay attention is a gift from God. Here are some ideas for making the most of it.
Illustration by Dave Klug
Your ability to pay attention is truly amazing. Let me illustrate:
What are the objects just to your left and right? How do your clothes feel against your skin? What background noises are there? What smells? What’s the current taste in your mouth?
You probably weren’t thinking about any of those things until just now. Your attention was on this article (for which I thank you wholeheartedly). The fact that you were able to shut out all that other information is truly amazing.
Your senses take in tons of information, but your brain filters it all and helps you focus on what’s important to you. Without this filtering, you’d be in a state of constant overstimulation and information overload. And that’s just from the outside world. You also have memories, thoughts, and feelings inside you that can capture your attention.
President Russell M. Nelson has taught: “Created by God as a gift to you, [your body] is absolutely amazing! … Your brain lets you learn, think, and reason.”1
One way your brain helps you is through your ability to pay attention. This makes life safer, simpler, and more meaningful. It is a gift from Heavenly Father that helps you as you make choices and learn.
But it’s not always easy to pay attention—or to know what’s worthy of your attention.
It’s a Gift—So Own It
Modern life can be filled with many things vying for your attention. Under these conditions, a couple of things can happen: (1) you may have trouble sorting out what’s important and what isn’t, and (2) you may have trouble paying attention to any one thing for very long.
Satan is pleased with either of these outcomes. He doesn’t want you to focus on what’s truly important, so if your full attention is directed to lesser things, he’s pleased. On the other hand, he’d also love for you to be constantly distracted so that your attention is shifting from one thing to another. Then your experiences aren’t ever that deep and you don’t learn and grow that much.
Here are a few ideas for owning the gift of your attention:
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Ponder and pray. Draw near to your Heavenly Father. Think about truths and teachings about Him and His plan. Be alone with Him in prayer. Ask Him for help.
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Read. Reading is one of the best things you can do to exercise your brain and discipline yourself to focus. Read the scriptures. Read other “best books” you’re interested in (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118). Read another article in this magazine. Just take time and read.
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Be mindful and purposeful. Try to be aware of what draws your attention, what truly interests you, and what distracts you. Purposefully give sustained attention to important things. Set aside some time in your day to focus. Discipline yourself to pay attention to what you know matters. And remember, “Strength … comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.”2
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Turn things off or set them aside. Turn off or set aside anything you know distracts you—devices, television, music—whatever. Certain background sounds may help you focus, but others don’t. And constant notifications from a device most definitely don’t.
Focus on Joy
Your ability to focus helps you learn, and it also helps you to experience joy. President Russell M. Nelson has said:
“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.
“When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.”3
Use the gift of your attention to its fullest. Be mindful of the dangers of misdirection and distraction. And find joy in giving your attention to things that matter most.