A Better Understanding of Focus and Intense Concentration

Did you know that you have about 50,000 thoughts every day? Those thoughts actually create the world you live in. You have the power to create any kind of world you desire; you are in control of that world and your thoughts. It's totally up to you which thoughts you will entertain, give energy to, and expand upon every day.

Concentrating means intense mental focusing on these thoughts each day, giving them your complete attention. And this requires practice.

You've seen them-the successful business men and women, the gold medal winning athletes, the leaders of society, the teachers of the year. What is the common denominator? These people have learned how to focus their minds on the task in front of them. They don't just concentrate; they have learned how to use their attention like a laser beam, hitting the mark every time. They don't allow themselves to become distracted or confused. And they practice this intense focusing every day.

Unfortunately, most of us don't possess that kind of focus and concentration. We try, but just can't seem to hone in on a task with that kind of power. How would you describe yourself? Are you distracted, mentally confused, scatterbrained, or maybe just a daydreamer? We are too easily distracted by the events and circumstances around us. We moan that if we could just get our act together and really concentrate, we could accomplish anything. The trouble is, the more we think about really concentrating, the less we are actually able to bring it into being; it becomes terribly elusive. The average person can concentrate to a certain degree, some of the time; but for the most part, our thoughts are scattered, with our minds racing from one thought to the next, not even in a logical progression. I call that 'mental leapfrog.' Many times, we can't even remember how we got to a particular thought; we can't follow the progression in our minds.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes concentration as a direction of attention to a single object. We need the ability to regulate our thoughts, to point them undeviatingly in a straight course. We all have the ability to focus at least part of the time. Learning to concentrate is simply another skill we can learn. And like any other skill, it takes practice to master it. Make a personal commitment to learn this skill and you will enhance all aspects of your life-relationships, business, career and finances. A beter understanding of the mechanics of focusing and concentration will help you master this skill.

Your brain functions at four different wavelengths. Scientists call them:

· Beta

· Alpha

· Theta

· Delta

And they measure them in CPS or Cycles per Second.

At the Beta level, your brain is fully active. You are awake, alert, and fully in the moment-fifteen to forty cycles per second. This occurs when you are busiest, all pistons firing, wide awake and energetic, fully engaged in mental activities.

The Alpha wavelength is much slower at nine to fourteen cycles per second. This is considered a creative, thoughtful level. Sitting down and relaxing after working at a task puts the brain into this level.

When your brain is at the Theta wavelength, at only four to seven cycles per second, you are in a meditative floating state just before you slip into a deep, deep sleep. How many times have you gotten a great idea or a solution to a problem just before you drifted off? Anytime you are doing small, repetitive actions, such as brushing your teeth, or shaving, your mind can slip into the theta stage. This is considered a highly creative level for your brain. Many creative types such as writers keep a pad and pencil near them at all times, to record these wonderfully creative moments.

In the Delta state, your brain is only cycling from one point, five to four times per second, indicating an unconscious deep sleep. This is probably the only time your brain is reasonably still and quiet.

So, while your brain may be in the active, Beta stage during the day, as you get ready for bed, it begins to cycle down to the relaxed, Alpha stage, then to the creative, Theta stage as you fall asleep and finally down to the restful, Delta stage, or a deep sleep.

When you begin to awaken each morning, your brain will cycle through these stages in reverse, coming from the Delta stage and a deep sleep, up to Theta, into Alpha and finally, by the time your alarm goes off, your brain is back into the Beta stage and ready to be highly active again.

Everyone needs to learn the ability to concentrate, to focus on a task, but that ability depends on a number of factors. For starters, your commitment to a project has a great influence on how well you concentrate on it. You know that a half-hearted attempt will not bring about a successful completion to that project.

If you're enthusiastic about a project, it makes it so much easier to keep your mind on the task at hand. You've probably discovered that if it's a task you enjoy, it's easy to motivate yourself to not only start a project, but also follow it through to completion. It's hard to focus on a job if you do not enjoy it. You have to want to do it, to be willing to start that project and be willing to do what it takes to finish it.

The skills that you bring to a task also influence your ability to concentrate. The more skilled you are, the easier it is to accomplish the task and the quicker you achieve results. Knowing how to do something increases your self-confidence. You may even find that your mind wanders when the task becomes automatic, rather than totally focused as you're learning the skills.

Your emotional, physical, and psychological state has a huge influence on your ability to focus and concentrate on a particular task. If you find yourself distracted because you're worried, or feeling ill or even just out of sorts, you'll find it almost impossible to concentrate. Your mind constantly wanders away in search of the solution for whatever it is that's bothering you.

Your environment also has so much to do with your ability to concentrate and see a project through to completion. Most people are highly affected by too much noise, or heat or cold, or uncomfortable surroundings; even other people can be distracting and stressful to you and your ability to focus. I cover more of these external and internal distractions in the complete iq mind brain library.