Alana on focusing her mind

Hello, Lana, how are you?

I'm good, how are you?

I'm well. Um, I have a question for you. You ready for a question?

Yes.

Do you know what it means to focus your attention?

Like you're focusing, like, all of, like, your interest or, like, if you like really want to learn about it, like on that thing maybe.

I think that's a great explanation. Um, do you think that you can focus your attention on pretty much anything you want?

Yeah, I think so.

So if I said, um, can you figure out what 2 2 is, you could focus your attention on what 2 2 is?

Yes.

What is it?

4.

Suppose I asked you to focus your attention on 2 times 2. Do you know how to focus your attention on that?

4.

So do you know what times are?

I think so.

You got it right, so maybe you do. How about if I asked you to focus your attention on How you could make your paper airplanes better. Do you think you can do that in your mind? Go ahead.

Yeah, like maybe you could, um, maybe you could research some other styles or something like that, or maybe get like other colors.

Okay, so in another conversation we talked about how we, when I was asking you about what you wanted to get better at, I think one of the things you said is you wanted to get better at watching your brother while your mom was resting. Do you remember that?

Yes, I do.

And do you remember what you said you would need to focus on to get better at watching your brother while your mom is resting?

I think like focusing more on what he needs, like water and food and stuff like that.

And how about with jiu-jitsu? What do you focus on to get better at jiu-jitsu?

Well, maybe I could focus on what I'm learning and drill hard and at the end of the class when we're rolling, try that move maybe.

It kind of sounds like your mind can go in all sorts of different directions. We had your mind focused on math and you did that, and then we had your mind focused on your brother and you did that, and we have your mind focused on jujitsu and do that. Does it seem like your mind can go lots of different directions?

Yes.

Um, what if you are really cold? Could you focus on pretending you're hot or not?

Pretending?

You think you could pretend that you're hot when you're cold?

Maybe if you're not that cold.

But if you're too cold, you think your body is saying, "Hello, I'm cold. Forget this focus stuff." Yeah. How about if you're hungry? Could you focus on not feeling hungry? If you're hungry, you're hungry.

Well, if you're hungry, drink water and then you should probably be good for focusing.

Do you think that in some ways your body is stronger, in some ways your mind is stronger, or are your body and mind kind of competing with each other, or how do they relate to each other?

Uh, I think they're both the same because the mind controls them.

You would say your mind controls your body?

Cause like it tells it what to do and stuff.

So certainly I assume you can say, your mind could say, move my hand and your, your body does what your mind tells it to do, right?

Move your pinky.

Aha, there you go. Um, but you're thinking even if your body is cold or hungry, your mind could tell it, oh, don't be so cold or oh, don't be so hungry.

Maybe, but if you were hungry, it would probably tell you, go try drink some water, maybe you're just thirsty.

Okay, so maybe your mind actually helps to solve problems. So sometimes it helps you solve problems. How about, I know your dad is big on no strollers. You've heard your dad talk about no strollers, and I assume at this point you never ask to be picked up, is that true?

Um, I have been carried lots of times.

You have? I thought your dad always said no, but he does let you— when sometimes when you're tired, he'll pick you up?

Yeah, even right now actually.

Aha.

So he either lets us walk or carries us when we're tired.

Got it, got it. Um, do you think when you're tired you could tell your mind, "I'm not so tired," or when you're tired, you're tired?

Uh, like if you're super tired, like you've been walking for maybe 2 hours, probably ask your dad for a break. But if you've been walking for 20 minutes and you're tired, you should probably deal with it for another couple minutes maybe.

Okay.

Like maybe just like push yourself.

Okay, you can push yourself. I'm still thinking about your mind and all the things your mind can do. How about imagination? Could you imagine that you are on the moon right now?

Sure, yeah.

Would it be very realistic or not very realistic?

I think in my mind right now it seems like it's really real. I'm on the moon and I have my suit on and I'm putting the flag in the moon.

So your mind can actually take you to places that you're not even really there? Yeah. How about the top of a mountain? Could you imagine that you're on top of a mountain?

Yeah, there's tons of snow and there's trees, depending if it's summer or depending if it's really hot, there'll probably be not that much snow.

Got it. So your mind can focus on problems like in math or problems like focus on your brother. Your mind can sometimes make you walk a little bit longer when your legs are tired. Your mind can take you places. What are things your mind can't do? Are there things that your mind cannot do?

Well, if you're like Maybe if you're thirsty, like you know that you're thirsty and you need water, water. Um, I don't think you can control that because you need water.

So that's when your mind should listen to your body, it sounds like.

Yeah. Water is very important for your body.

That's, that sounds right. That sounds right. Um, how about, uh, could you, If you don't, you don't, you know Spanish a little bit, un poquito, sí? How about German? Kannst du Deutsch?

No.

Could your mind get you to understand German if you tried really hard?

Hmm, I, if it's new to you and you haven't taken like, if you haven't like, if you don't know any word, probably not, because if you don't know any single word and what it means, probably you wouldn't succeed in doing that.

Okay, so there are limits to what your mind can figure out. You can't figure out a whole new language from scratch, it sounds like.

Yeah, because like if you, if you're new to Japanese and you don't know a single word maybe, and you like haven't even like talked to somebody like in Japanese and at least learn like a few words, your mind probably couldn't, your mind probably couldn't figure that out.

Okay. Do you think that, do you ever get bored? Have you ever been bored by anything?

No, I have never been bored.

Okay, I was going to say sometimes people get bored and I wonder if they can get their mind to focus. But if you've never been bored, then you've never had to, um, kind of try to focus on something you don't want to focus on, right?

Yeah.

All right. Um, do you ever find that, uh, when you— is your mind ready to focus right away when you wake up or does it take a few minutes after you wake up before you can focus?

If, um, like I feel like I want to sleep more, then maybe it'll take maybe like maybe a minute or something to get my mind like ready, awake and ready to go.

That makes sense. So it kind of seems like a mind is kind of an amazing thing. Would you say our minds are amazing?

Yes.

Do you think dogs can focus on as many things as we can focus on?

I think so, like if they were playing fetch and they lost the ball, they could see it right there in the grass.

Okay, so dogs can be great problem solvers too. They either see it or, um, sometimes they can figure things out. You think dogs can do math? Do you think a dog could do 10 times 10?

Uh, if they were taught how. Okay, well, maybe they have certain remember.

Okay, so we can, we can figure out later what dogs can figure out and what they can't, but for now I think I'm going to allow you to enjoy your mind. What are you gonna do today?

I actually don't know.

All right, well, enjoy thinking and focusing on various things, and maybe we'll talk next weekend, okay?

Okay.

Adios, Alana.