You Become What You Focus On - Darius Foroux - Deepstash
The Halloween Collection

Learn more about personaldevelopment with this collection

Navigating and enjoying the thrill of horror and scare experiences

Historical knowledge of Halloween and its origins

Understanding and appreciating Halloween traditions worldwide

The Halloween Collection

Discover 64 similar ideas in

It takes just

10 mins to read

Where to direct your attention

Where to direct your attention

Stoic philosopher Epictetus wrote, "Most of what passes for legitimate entertainment is inferior or foolish and only caters to or exploits people's weakness."

This is very telling even in our age about our attention and the things we focus on. We let other people decide what to focus on and are defenceless when the media exploits our weaknesses. Instead, we should control where we direct our attention.

476

4.72K reads

Your thoughts are influenced by others

If you don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the same as yours.

For example, a notification from Netflix informing you that a new season of your favourite show is available may cause you to put your life on hold to watch it for a few days. Then you may watch some YouTube clips. If you don't intervene, others may control your attention and you may become a mindless drone.

296

1.11K reads

Turn off all your non-essential notifications

Turn off notifications for all the apps on your phone, so you don't have to put your phone in do not disturb mode. That way, you have more control over what you see on your phone.

The point is to use your phone mindfully. Consider if a specific notification will be useful to you.

268

892 reads

The use of social media

Social media can be a great tool for connecting with people, but it is not suitable to obtain information. It is not a replacement for books or articles.

Most people are unaware that they are being used on social media. They may think they're in control, but they're influenced all the time. That is why we should be mindful of how we use social media.

268

845 reads

Focus on attention over information

Information is primarily about data and facts, while knowledge is mainly about applying information. For example, it is a fact that the average hedge fund underperformed the market over the last decade. Knowledge would be to use that information to form an investing strategy.

Most people obtain a lot of information because it's easy - a post on social media, a short video, an article, etc. However, it serves no real purpose because it lacks direction and application.

283

833 reads

Read a few writers online

Follow one or two people whose work adds value to you. You may not agree with everything but may like their style and perspective.

Consume content relevant to you and ignore everything else. Ask yourself:

  • Is this worth my attention?
  • Will it enrich my life?

291

1.04K reads

CURATED BY

martirms

Personal trainer. Lift and read. Discipline is freedom.

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving & library

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Personalized recommendations

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates