( part two )
Last week, I started an outline of mental and physical exercises that you could try to improve your concentration. As a recap, these exercises are a part of the book the power of concentration.
If, you would like to continue where we left off last week, please read on as I will list the final nine exercises that Theron Q. Dumont discusses in his book below.
Exercise 11
By Concentration, You Can Control Your Temper. If you flare up at the slightest “provocation” and never try to control yourself, just think this over a minute. Does it do you any good? Do you gain anything from it? Doesn’t it put you out of poise for some time? Don’t you know that this grows on you and will eventually make you despised by all who have dealings
with you? Everyone makes mistakes and, instead of becoming angry at their perpetrators, just say to them, “Be more careful next time.” This thought will be impressed to them, and they will be more careful. But, if you continually complain about their making a mistake, the thought of a mistake is impressed on them, and they will be more likely to make mistakes in the future. All lack of self-control can be conquered if you will but learn to concentrate.
Many of you that read this may think you are not guilty of either of these faults, but if you carefully watch yourself, you will probably find that you are, and, if so, you will be greatly
helped by repeating this affirmation each morning:
“I am going to try today not to make a useless gesture, worry over trifles, or become nervous or irritable. I intend to be calm, and I will control myself no matter what the circumstances. Henceforth, I resolve to be free from all signs that show a lack of self-control.”
At night, quickly review your actions during the day and see how fully you realized your aim. At first, you will have to plead guilty to violation a few times, but keep on, and you
will soon find that you can live up to your ideal. After you have once gained self-control, however, don’t relinquish it. For some time, it will still be necessary to repeat the affirmation in the morning and square your conduct with it in the evening. Keep up the good work until, at last, the habit of self-control is so firmly fixed that you could not break it even though you tried.
I have had many people tell me that this affirmation and daily review made a wonderful difference in their lives. You, too, will notice the difference if you live up to these instructions.
Exercise 12.
Practice Talking Before a Glass. Make two marks on your mirror on a level with your eyes, and think of them as two human eyes looking into yours. Your eyes will probably blink a little at
first. Do not move your head, but stand erect. Concentrate all your thoughts on keeping your head perfectly still. Do not let another thought come into your mind. Then, still keeping the
head, eyes and body still, think that you look like a reliable man or woman, like a person in which anyone would have confidence. Do not let your appearance be such as to justify
the remark, “I don’t like his appearance. I don’t believe he can be trusted.”
While standing before the mirror, practice deep breathing. See that there is plenty of fresh air in the room and that you are literally feasting on it. You will find that your timidity will disappear as it permeates
every cell. A sense of peace and power has replaced it.
The one that stands up like a man and controls the muscles of his face and eyes always commands attention. In his conversation, he can better impress those with whom he contacts. He acquires a feeling of calmness and strength that causes opposition to melt away before it. Three minutes a day is long enough for the practice of this exercise.
Look at the clock before you commence the exercise, and if you find you can prolong the exercise for more than five minutes, do so. Then, the next day, sits in a chair and, without looking at the
picture, concentrate on it and see if you cannot think of additional details concerning it. The chances are you will be able to think of many more. It might be well for you to write
down all, you thought of the first day, and then add to the list each new discovery. You will find that this is a very excellent exercise in concentration.
Exercise 13
The Control of Sensations. Think how you would feel if you were cool; then how you would feel if you were cold; again, how you would feel if it were freezing. In this state, you would be
shivering all over. Now think of just the opposite conditions; construct such a vivid image of heat that you can experience the sensation of heat even in the coldest atmosphere.
It is possible to train your imagination until you do this, and it can then be turned to practical account in making undesirable conditions bearable.
You can think of many very good exercises like this. For instance, if you feel yourself getting hungry or thirsty and for any reason, you do not wish to eat, do not think of how hungry or
thirsty you are, but just visualize yourself as finishing a hearty meal. Again, when you experience pain, do not increase it by thinking about it, but do something to divert your attention,
and the pain will seem to decrease. If you start practicing along this line systematically, you will soon gain wonderful control over the things that affect your physical comfort.
Exercise 14
The Eastern Way of Concentrating. Sit in a chair with a high back in an upright position. Press one finger against the right nostril. Now take a long, deep breath, drawing the breath in gently as you count ten; then expel the breath through the right nostril as you count ten. Repeat this exercise with the opposite nostril. This exercise should be done at least twenty times at each sitting.
Exercise 15
Controlling Desires. Desire, which is one of the hardest forces to control, will furnish you with excellent exercises in concentration. It seems natural to want to tell others what you know, but, by learning to control these desires, you can wonderfully strengthen your powers of concentration. Remember, you have all you can do to attend to your own business. Do not
waste your time thinking of others or in gossiping about them.
If, from your own observation, you learn something about another person that is detrimental, keep it to yourself. Your opinion may, afterward, turn out to be wrong anyway, but whether right or wrong, you have strengthened your will by controlling your desire to communicate your views.
If you hear good news, resist the desire to tell it to the first person you meet, and you will benefit. It will require the concentration of all your powers of resistance to
prohibit the desire to tell. After you feel that you have complete control over your desires, you can then tell your news. But you must be able to suppress the desire to communicate the
news until you are fully ready to tell it. Persons who do not possess this power of control over desires are apt to tell things they should not, thereby often involving themselves and
others in needless trouble.
If you are in the habit of getting excited when you hear unpleasant news, just control yourself and receive it without any exclamation of surprise. Say to yourself, “Nothing will
cause me to lose my self-control. You will find from experience that this self-control will be worth much to you in business. You will be looked upon as a cool-headed businessman, which, in
time, becomes a valuable business asset. Of course, circumstances alter cases. At times, it is necessary to become enthused. But be ever on the lookout for opportunities for the practice of
self-control. “He that rules his spirit is greater than he that rules a city.”
Exercise 16
When You Read. No one can think without first concentrating his thoughts on the subject in hand. Every man and woman should train himself to think clearly. An excellent exercise is to read some short stories and then write just an abridged statement. Read an article in a newspaper, and see in how few words you can express it. Reading an article to get only the essentials requires the closest concentration. If you cannot write out what you
read, you will know you are weak in concentration. Instead of writing it out, you can express it orally if you wish. Go to your room and deliver it as if you were talking to someone. You will
find exercises like this of the greatest value in developing concentration and learning to think.
After practicing some of these simple exercises, read a book for twenty minutes and then write down what you have read. The chances are that at first, you will not remember very many details, but with a little practice, you will be able to write a very good account of what you have read. The closer the concentration, the more accurate the account will be.
It is a good idea when time is limited to read only a short sentence and then try to write it down word for word. When doing this, read two or more sentences and treat them similarly. The practice will produce very good results if you keep it up until the habit is fixed.
If you just utilize your spare time in practicing exercises like those suggested, you can gain wonderful powers of concentration. You will find that to remember every word in a sentence, you must keep out every thought, but that which you wish to remember, and this power of inhibition alone will more than compensate for the trouble of the exercise. Of course, success in all of the above depends largely upon cultivating, through the closest concentration, the power to image or picture what you read; upon the power, as one writer expresses it, of letting the mountains of which we hear loom before us and the rivers of which we read roll at our feet.
Exercise 17
Concentration Overcomes Bad Habits. If you have a habit that you want to get rid of, shut your eyes and imagine that your real self is standing before you. Now try the power of affirmation;
say to yourself, “You are not a weakling; you can stop this habit if you want to. This habit is bad, and you want to break it.” Just imagine that you are someone else giving this advice. This is
a very valuable practice. You, in time, see yourself as others see you. The habit loses its power over you, and you are free.
If you just form the mental image of controlling yourself as another person might, you will take a delight in breaking bad habits. I have known many men to break themselves of
drinking in this way.
Exercise 18
Watch Concentration. Sit in a chair and place a clock with a second hand on the table. Follow the second hand with your eyes as it goes around. Keep this up for five minutes, thinking of
nothing else but the second hand. This is a very good exercise when you only have a few minutes to spare if you can keep every other thought in the stream of consciousness
subordinate to it. As little is particularly interesting about the second hand, it is hard to do this, but its value lies in the extra effort of willpower required to make it successful. Always try to keep as still as possible during these exercises. In this way, you can gain control over nerves, and this quieting effect is very good for them.
Exercise 19
Faith Concentration. A belief in the power to concentrate is, of course, very important. I purposely did not put this exercise at the beginning where it naturally belongs because I wanted you to
know that you could learn to concentrate. If you have practiced the above exercises, you have now developed this concentration power to a considerable extent, and therefore, you have faith in the power of concentration, but you can still become a much stronger believer in it.
We will say that you have some desire or wish you want to be fulfilled or that you need some specialist advice. You first clearly picture what is wanted, and then you concentrate on getting it. Have
absolute faith that your desires will be realized. Believe that it will, according to your belief, be fulfilled. Never, at this time, attempt to analyze the belief. You don’t care anything about the whys and wherefores. You want to gain what you desire, and if you concentrate on it correctly, you will
get it.
A Caution. Never think you will not succeed, but picture what is wanted as already yours, and yours it surely will be.
Self-Distrust. Do you ever feel distrust in yourself? If You do, just ask yourself, which self do I mistrust? Then say: my higher self cannot be affected. Then think of the wonderful powers of
the higher self. There is a way to overcome all difficulties, and it is a delight for the human soul to do so. Instead of wasting precious thought force by dreading or fearing a disagreeable
interview or event, devote time and concentrated thought to how to make the best of the interview or event. You will find that it will not be as unpleasant as you thought it
would be. Most of our troubles are but imaginary, and the mental habit of dreading them is a magnet in attracting those that do come. Your evil circumstances are
created or attracted by your own negative fears and wrong thoughts and are a means of teaching you to triumph over all evils by discovering that which is inherent within yourself.
You will find it helpful in overcoming self-distrust, to stop and think about why you are, concentrate your forces, and by so doing, you become more closely attached to the higher self, which is never.
Distrusts.
Final Thoughts:
Now that all the exercises are outlined, I will encourage you to try them and see for yourself the kind of results that they can provide.
Along this journey, to become positively improved, we need to acquire the proper tools to find our success. I encourage you to make this one of the many tools I will help you quire for your journey.
As always, I would love to read your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below. Until next week, Namaste.
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