"Concentration is the Most Important
Intellectual Habit of Man."
Not one person in ten thousand can really
concentrate. Some realize that they do not know how—others drift along the line
of least resistance and let their minds vegetate, apparently never suspecting
their weakness or realizing that they are an utter failure at concentration. To
Cori-centre—bringing all your mental force and faculties to bear steadily on a
given center with-out deviation from that exact point—whipping into line all
wandering fancies—stray ideas or thoughts that go off on a tangent—to hold
steadily all your power on the central thing under consideration without an
instant of wavering—that is Concentration.
This ONE THING
I Do
A difficult thing to
do, and very few minds can do it. St. Paul gives us the shortest definition of
concentration on record when he says, " This one thing I do," short,
but tremendously significant. Another Bible definition is excellent: "
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." Some men work
that way, intense fellows--brilliant professional men—big business
men—executives—leaders in the world of
finance—science—invention—literature—education—it matters not what kind of
work, the point is that when these men pitch hay, they pitch hay —when they
write a book, they write a book—when they manage a sales campaign, they man-age
a sales campaign. That one thing they do at that one time, and nothing else,
and every ounce they have goes into the doing. But back of all this has been a
lot of mental discipline, a lot of habit-forming, a lot of brain-building. Let
us consider some of the steps by which they have climbed. To the ambitious
student, I offer five practical aids to concentration, planned to meet the
needs of one who wishes to build from the ground up. We must assume as
prerequisites, interest and attention, which have already been discussed.
AIDS TO
CONCENTRATION
These aids will do
more than help you to follow a memory course; they deal with your daily work.
Concentration applies to all the activities of life. It should be established
as a life habit. To all who think, I bring this message, Think it with thy
might. Make a business of doing one thing at a time with all your soul.
Chesterfield was right when he said, " There is time enough for everything
in the course of a day if we do but one thing at a time, but there is not time
enough in a year if we try to do two things at a time."
PERIODICAL
RELAXATION
It may seem
paradoxical that the first aid to better concentration refers to relaxation.
But I have observed that some of the most intense intellects fail in their
concentration because they never relax. Failure to let go between efforts is
their chief stumbling block. They keep them-selves tense, nervous, " keyed-up
" all the time, even when there is no need for it, thereby wasting nervous
energy. They find it very difficult to " let go "—to relieve the
high-tension by a little natural, wholesome relaxation. Possibly they feel like
the Irishman who was trapped on the fourth floor of a burning building. He
fought his way to the window but was afraid to jump. The flames drove him on
until he was hanging to the window ledge with his hands. His friends, in the
street below, seeing the walls were about to fall, kept shouting at him to
" let go." Finally, he growled back at them between set teeth—"
How kin I let go when it's all I can do to hang on? " But we must learn to
let go—to relax completely—before each period of in-tense concentration. Here
is the working principle: Relaxation precedes perfect concentration. A
delightful illustration of this point is given by Elizabeth Towne.
Six puppies were
playing in the barn. The barn door was closed and with the world shut out, they
were giving themselves up completely to the; spirit of play. Two of them were
staging a mock battle over a feather, while the others were rolling over and
over in the loose straw on the barn floor in utter enjoyment.
Suddenly the barn door
softly creaked. 'Instantly every puppy came to attention; heads up —tails
up—bodies rigid—bright eyes fixed in intense concentration on that door, as it
slowly swung open. A moment before they had been in a state of complete
relaxation. Now, they offered a perfect example of concentration as they stood
at attention, waiting and watching for the unknown danger that Might be coming
from the other. Side of the barn door.
All great mental
achievement has been preceded by periods of absolute rest or relaxation ! During.
this time fatigue disappears the nervous forces.
recuperate and the minds-stores up fresh energy axed establishes a reserve to
draw upon during" the hours of intense concentration demanded by the. big
task high lies must ahead.
Very often this
preparation period of relaxation determines. the success or failure of the uder
taking.-Herbert -Spencer, once made, a speech on.," The Gospel "of
Relaxation will, which he pointed ,out that continual tress and strain high
tension without periods relaxation were responsible for much chronic fatigue and
many a nervous breakdown. is far better to indulge. It in an voluntary let down
than: to Offer an involuntary breakdown, Different .people take their
relaxation best in different ways, but, whether in complete rest, of play or
wholesome laughter, it must come before any sustained effort of concentration.
Nature itself requires cycles of growth and rest. Take your breathing spell
before the battle.
MENTAL FREEDOM
The next step is to
free the mind. Nothing is of greater aid to concentration. In fact, unless you
are able to do this, concentration is impossible. When. harassed by the three
devils, hurry, worry, and f ear, the mind never has a fair chance to center on
anything. " Worry generates a poison at the roots of memory." But in
your period of relaxation, you have an excellent opportunity to free the
mind—now is your chance to eliminate all mental handicaps and get ready for the
race. Not only hurry, worry, and fear must be thrown overboard, but anything
and everything that troubles you and disturbs your serenity and your peace of
mind. Out they go ! You should not indulge in day-dreaming, either, or mental
drifting. Clear the mental horizon; give yourself a clean slate to write upon
when your hour of concentration comes. And when it comes, if you have availed
yourself of these first two aids I have given, you will be, possessed of that
rare thing, mental poise.
THE PROPER
ENVIRONMENT
In order to keep it,
utilize the third aid: right conditions. Now, it is true that a trained mind
can concentrate under any conditions—in the roar and din of .crowded cities or
the busy hum of traffic—in the midst of telephone calls or a thousand and one
other interruptions. Some men can concentrate on a mental problem while walking
down a Chicago street and never hear the roar of the elevated or see the
hurrying throngs. I have seen men write on a crowded street car perfectly
oblivious to the people about them, not even hearing their own stations when
called. But these men were already masters of concentration, and I am
addressing my remarks to those who have not yet learned how to concentrate.
Therefore, it is only a matter of common-sense to make conditions as favorable
as possible. Give your mind a fair chance. Concentration is difficult enough,
even under the best conditions. I would suggest that you seek a quiet place
free from all distractions (and noise is a terrible distractor), a place free
from all interruptions which may break your train of thought (and a telephone
is a terrible interruptor), a place where you can be alone, free from all
outside influences (and a friend who " must drops in " is a terrible
outside influence), and a place of pleasing environment, beautiful or
otherwise, where the atmosphere is right for you. I mean atmosphere in its
fuller sense, although an abundance of sweet, fresh air is necessary. A
well-poised mind can create its own atmosphere which inspires the individual,
puts him at his best, is strongly conducive to good mental work, and has much
to do with his success in concentrating. Not alone for the beginner, but I may
safely say for the majority, is this true. In fact, some of our greatest
creative thinkers absolutely insist on right conditions and the right kind of a
place in which to produce their master-pieces. True, good books have been written
in mail—great poems written in the trenches—masterly speeches conceived on an
express train. But in every case there was a degree of concentration strong
enough to rise triumphant above the environment.
Atmosphere--environment—these
things differ with the individual—it's all in the mind. One man may do his best
work seated in a luxurious chair in his beautiful and artistic study--another
may reach his highest plane of creative thinking while sitting under a lone
pine-tree on the crest of a hill. Choose your own place for concentration, but
remember that solitude has always been, in all the history of mental
achievement, a requisite for great work.
Solitude calls forth
the mood of receptivity. Only then do we get the best. Great things are worked
out in silence. Then come the flashes of inspiration—the new visions. Emerson
tells us that " Solitude is to genius the stern friend—the cold, obscure
shelter, where mould the wings which will bear it farther than suns or
stars," and we have this thought from Carlyle: " Silence is the
element in which great things fashion themselves together—that at length they
may emerge full-formed and mamestic into the delight of life—which they are
henceforth to rule."
The great poems
written in lonely garrets—the masterpiece paintings conceived by the artist
amid the fields—the divine harmonies first heard by the musician communing with
the stars—the sublime oration which first stirred the soul of the orator as he
tramped in the forest—all attest that the best comes to man when he is alone.
Witness Burns—the
Scotch peasant among the daisies pouring out the lyric songs which to- day
touch sympathetic hearts the " warld o'er."
Witness
Emerson—bidding good-bye to the proud world and retiring to that Sylvan Home,
" bosomed in yon green hills "—and there creating his incomparable
essays.
Witness Demosthenes—on
the seashore—building to the big music of the waves his match-less oration on
the Crown.
Witness Byron—alone on
the Alps—writing by the glare of the lightning flash his magnificent
description of the Thunderstorm.
And today right in
this practical present—thousands of our most successful business men have
learned this secret—that by getting alone—they can gain new efficiency—and
think out better plans for managing their daily affairs.
History will bear me
out in the statement that to bear Solitude well is a mark of greatness. Look at
Lincoln—back there in the country for the first thirty years of his life,
nourishing his own soul and disciplining his own mind.
Hillis has well said,
" What a college and a crowd could not do for thousands of young men
—Solitude did for the rail-splitter's son. Alone he sailed the seas of thought
with God for his only companion, till at last he stood forth, a mountain-minded
man."
A DEFINITE
SCHEDULE
The fourth aid to
concentration, is a very practical one: make a daily schedule. In the first
place, such a schedule saves an inconceivable amount of time. Harrington
Emerson, in his noted book, Twelve Principles of Efficiency, lays great stress
upon the necessity and value of a written daily schedule. But what has this to
do with concentration as applied to memory, you may ask? Simply this—your daily
schedule helps to focus the mind, holds it steadily to one thing at a time and
in the right order. Following a logical sequence tends to eliminate con-fusion.
It has been
demonstrated in efficiency tests over and over again that time and energy are
lost not so much on the operation itself as in passing from one operation to
another. So in our mental operations, failure to move smoothly from one thing
to another results in confusion. And when confusion comes, concentration goes.
A definite daily schedule is a wonderful aid in keeping the mind on the right
track. It often proves to be the salvation of those who have been unable to
concentrate. Try it.
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