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Men’s #1 Superpower taken to the next level… in just 12 minutes kind of)
This blog post is the first in a series that keeps track of exercises, habits, and diets that help maximize our number one superpower… focus.
The ability to direct and hold attention is how men have built their bodies, minds, families, and civilizations ever since our species was a thing — and it’s under attack.
In a world filled with gadgets, experiences, and foods that distract and destroy concentration, the men that can successfully block, parry, and defeat these enemies will rise to the top.
Let’s kick off this series by learning how to strengthen the organ responsible for lifting us out of the woods and into the stars — the brain.
Meditation for the Mind
‘Meditate’ is officially defined as, “To think or reflect, especially in a calm and deliberate manner.”
Simply put, meditation works by putting a pause on your life (for a brief moment), taking active control of your mind, and being deliberate with your attention.
It’s an exercise that’s used by monks, CEOs, athletes, and anyone who values optimizing their lived experience.
Meditation is a free tool for squeezing the most performance out of our relatively short time on this planet.
And like any good tool, there are multiple ways to use it.
Some people use meditation for deep thinking — a way of brainstorming solutions to major problems.
Others use meditation to escape neurotic or stressful thought patterns that can cause anxiety.
While others use meditation to lengthen and strengthen their attention span — helping them perform at a higher level in work and personal life.
And that’s the type of meditation we’re focusing on in this post.
Why Meditation Matters for Men
Everything we do as men requires focus.
Without us, civilization would collapse overnight — something about Atlus shrugging.
So in our quest to become stronger, faster, and more effective, the best tool we can sharpen to maximize all three is our capacity to remain in the moment.
Here are three reasons why meditation for focus is extremely powerful:
1. Mental Stamina (Quantity)
Have you ever had the experience where you sat down to read or get some work done, and what you accomplished in 1 hour could have been completed in 30 minutes — if only you had concentrated better?
By strengthening your attention span, you keep your “head in the game” for longer —
Read more pages.
Study for hours.
Stay locked into work or personal projects.
In general, you can learn and accomplish more over time.
2. Mental Resilience (Quality)
No matter what you’re doing, there are always going to be things that try to rip you away from the task at hand — phones buzzing, cars honking, crowds talking, or the chatter in your head.
By strengthening your ability to stay in the moment, you train your brain to ignore distractions —
Stop forgetting what you read just seconds after reading it.
Absorb more information while studying.
Produce higher-quality for work or personal projects.
Basically, you can get more work done in less time.
3. Mental Confidence
Going for a new personal record in the gym is all about putting in the work months beforehand. If you don’t build a strong foundation, any new pr is going to feel really shaky. Meditation is the same.
By strengthening your ability to focus longer and remain engaged more often, you build your confidence — knowing that you can do anything you put your mind to.
Essentially, you level up your life.
How to Meditate for Focus
The good news is that it only takes 12 minutes of meditation to start seeing results.
Or more specifically, “the minimum required dosage for training your attention: Four weeks. Five days a week. Twelve minutes a day.”
This prescription is taken from Amishi Jha, a professor of psychology at the University of Miami and author of Peak Mind, and her work in bringing science to the often “woo woo” world of meditation.
Here’s how you do it:
We’re going to be using the breath as an anchor point — breathing is the most reliable and repetitive sensation available to everyone.
But not just “the breath”, an aspect of the breath. It could be the warm and cool sensations as you inhale and exhale through your nose, the rising and falling of your stomach, or the pressure changes in your chest.
Whatever you choose to focus on, make sure it’s tied to your breathing.
- Sit on the floor or in a chair — whichever is most comfortable — in a stable, upright posture. Rest your hands on your thighs or cupped and placed over your groin.
- Focus on your breath — whichever aspect of it you’ve chosen. Do not force your breathing. Let your body breathe naturally.
- When you find your mind drifting away from your breath, refocus.
Step 3 is the most important part of meditating for focus — noticing you’ve stopped concentrating on your breath and refocusing — trains your brain to stay on task.
Conclusion
The best part of meditating for focus is that the results scale — the more time you spend meditating, the stronger your focus becomes.
But you only need 12 minutes to start seeing the benefits.
The world is becoming more chaotic and it’s easier to get knocked off your square and lose focus.
Using the ancient art of meditation, you can get up faster, recenter, and drive towards peak male performance.
Stay tuned. In the future, I’ll be bringing you more exercises, diet and supplement suggestions, and all-around life hacks you can use to reap the benefits of a dialed-in mind.
You’re going to need every last tool in your toolkit to navigate the future, gentlemen.
