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I almost ran over a dog the other day.

I was in my heading home daze. Taking the route I always take from work. Easy, uneventful. My mind was somewhere else entirely, probably thinking about the Mariners or mulling over the day's events.

Until this dog came running down the road right toward my car like it was being chased by someone it owed money.

I was aware enough to slam on my brakes, pull over, and along with a handful of strangers we turned into an impromptu search and rescue team. We wrangled the dog, called the owner, and stayed until the pup was claimed. Which, frankly, was way more coordinated than anything I've accomplished at work last week.

But what has stuck with me is it that I'd been driving for 10 minutes on complete autopilot. My body was behind the wheel, but my mind was nowhere near the road. The only reason I noticed the dog in time was because it was big enough and moving fast enough to break through my mental fog.

And yeah I know that saying "I almost ran over a dog" is not the most uplifting way to start a newsletter about improving your life. It's like beginning a cooking show by burning down the kitchen. But hang in there with me.

Cause how often are we like this? Physically present but mentally checked out, like being a tourist in your own life. But what if the simple act of paying attention is actually a bit of a superpower? What if learning to notice where your mind goes (and gently bringing it back) could change how you experience everything from conversations to commutes to quiet moments at home?

So this week, let's talk about attention, what it really is, why it's basically a power we've forgotten we have, and how you can start using it intentionally instead of letting it wander around unsupervised.

The Hidden Power of Where You Look

Let’s start by talking about Morita Therapy. It's a form of psychotherapy developed in Japan in the early 1900s by psychiatrist Shoma Morita. One of its core teachings is that life is awareness. In other words, it's not what happens to you that shapes your experience—it's what you notice.

Morita believed we spend too much energy trying to control our thoughts and emotions. Trying to feel calm, feel motivated, feel focused. When those things aren't fully under our control. What is under our control is what we do with our attention.

Your attention works like a flashlight. When you notice something, you're illuminating it in your consciousness. It might be a leaf dancing in the breeze. It might be that annoying sound your car is making. It might be anxiety creeping up your chest. Or it might be a dog running toward your car.

But most of us treat our attention like we're at a buffet; we grab whatever looks interesting in the moment, then realize we've somehow filled our plate with three different desserts and a pickle. We end up not being intentional about what we feed our minds.

Two people can live through the exact same day and have completely different experiences based solely on where they directed their awareness. You might know people who seem to effortlessly notice opportunities. They've learned to aim their flashlight deliberately. The ones who stay calm in chaos? They've trained their awareness to focus on what they can control instead of what they can't.

You can't always choose how you feel, but you can choose where you place your awareness. And over time, that choice changes how you experience everything else.

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The Real Cost of Scattered Attention

Your brain is wired to constantly scan for threats, opportunities, and novelty. It's not personal, it's survival. But this ancient wiring is completely overwhelmed by modern life.

Every notification, every open browser tab, every half-finished conversation is competing for your awareness. And when your attention gets pulled in twelve directions, you end up feeling scattered because you literally are scattered.

This is why you can spend a whole day being "busy" but feel like you accomplished nothing. Your awareness was jumping around so much that you never fully focused on anything long enough to complete it.

It's also why you lose things. Your misplaced phone isn’t really about the phone. It’s about misplaced attention. You set it down while your mind was somewhere else entirely.

And it's definitely why I almost hit that dog. My body was driving, but my awareness was pointed at dinner plans.

Training Your Attention (It's Simpler Than You Think)

The good news is that you don't need to become some kind of zen master who never gets distracted. You just need to develop the skill of noticing where your attention is and gently redirecting it when it wanders.

Here's how to start:

• Do awareness checks. A few times throughout your day, pause and ask yourself: "Where is my attention right now?" No judgment, just awareness. Are you thinking about the past? The future? That conversation from this morning? The feeling in your stomach?

• Practice "scanning attention." When you're looking for something, actually look. Move your focus systematically instead of letting it bounce around randomly. You'll find things faster and train your brain to be more deliberate.

• Pick one thing and stick with it for 30 seconds. It could be your breath, the feeling of your feet on the ground, or even the taste of your coffee. When your mind wanders (and it will), gently bring your attention back.

Remember: the goal isn't perfect focus. It's developing the muscle to notice when your attention has wandered and the skill to bring it back to where you want it.

The Bottom Line

That dog yesterday might have saved me from something worse down the road. Because for a split second, it forced my scattered attention back into sharp focus. It reminded me that where I direct my awareness matters more than I usually think about.

Your attention shapes your reality more than your circumstances, your schedule, or even your mood. The person who can consciously direct their awareness has a massive advantage in a world full of people whose mental focus bounces around like a squirrel on Red Bull.

And this isn't about becoming hyper-focused or never letting your mind wander. It's about developing the awareness to notice when your attention has drifted and to strengthen the muscle to bring it back.

Start simple. Right now, as you're reading this, notice what you're paying attention to. The words on the screen? The feeling of your feet on the floor? That notification that just popped up? There's no right answer, just the practice of noticing.

Your awareness is always active. The question is: where are you directing it?

Because sometimes, the difference between drifting and being awake is just one dog in the road.

As always, thanks for reading,
— Derek (aka Chief Rabbit)
Oh and have something interesting you think I should write about? You can reply to this email (or any other Chief Rabbit email) to suggest it. 

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