DALLAS, June 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Try this test:
Locate a watch or a clock with a second hand. Avoid digital readouts (i.e., clocks with numbers).
Sit where you will be comfortable and without distraction for five minutes. Pick a time on the watch/clock face to begin the exercise.
Concentrate all of your attention on the second hand of the clock and think about nothing else for five minutes. Neither remove your eyes from the clock face nor become distracted in any way. If you find that your thoughts have wandered to anything but the clock's second hand, you have failed the exercise and must start over.
How did you do? Were you able to easily keep your attention focused for a brief 5 minutes? Or did you struggle with distractions or wandering thoughts? While it should be easy to focus your attention for such a brief time, it turns out most people cannot do this simple exercise without specific practice, usually in the form of some kind of meditation practice.
Researcher and theorist, Kevin Page, has recently published a book for the acting profession that specifically looks at research on what he calls the "attention function."
"It is surprising," Page says, "how important attention is to actors, executives, or really anyone involved in a high-pressure, high-stakes career that includes being intently aware of what you are doing in the moment." Page's book looks at using meditation training to improve actors focus of attention on the stage or in front of a camera. However, he insists that the same pressures exist for lawyers, top sales people, even CEOs.
"I started working on a program for helping actors improve their concentration and focus about 10 years ago," explains Page. "And since then, a lot of research has come out about how meditation training can improve people's results in a whole range of high-performance situations. It's not just for actors."
Along with the publication of his book, Advanced Consciousness Training for Actors, Page has launched a website with resources that he claims can help almost anyone improve their attention span: www.ACTforActors.com. "If a film star can improve their on-screen performance with meditation, so can business people and other professionals."
"If you failed the above attention span test, try some of the techniques from my book and website for a month and see if your ability to focus your attention doesn't improve."
Kevin Page is an author, actor, and holds a master's degree in psychology. He writes about mindfulness meditation and other healthy mind/body training techniques. As an actor, he has appeared in over 70 films and TV programs including, RoboCop, SEINFELD, and DALLAS (as the character that shoots and kills "JR Ewing".) www.KevinPage.com
Contact:
Joanne McCall
503-642-4191
SOURCE Kevin Page
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