{"id":11257,"date":"2021-12-01T00:00:22","date_gmt":"2021-12-01T00:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=11257"},"modified":"2022-06-15T17:48:13","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T17:48:13","slug":"attention-intention-acceptance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/attention-intention-acceptance\/","title":{"rendered":"Paying Attention to Intention"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s something magical about \u201cThe Sound of Music.\u201d Christopher Plummer, who starred as Captain von Trapp, found the movie \u201cawful and sentimental and gooey\u201d during its filming, but audiences responded differently. The movie was so popular that it passed \u201cGone With the Wind\u201d as the biggest box office success to that time and helped save 20th Century Fox from bankruptcy. \u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d went on to win five Oscars, among them Best Picture, and remains a classic to this day.<\/p>\n

Through its storyline, sweeping cinematography and an incredible score, \u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d explores some of the metaphorical landscapes that many of us hold most important. While never losing its sense of humor, the movie addresses themes of finding one\u2019s true calling, love, courage and unwanted change during difficult times. Perhaps most of all, it feels like a tribute to the things that make us glad to be alive, even when times get hard.<\/p>\n

A song from the movie addresses that very point. Maria, played by Julie Andrews, sings \u201cMy Favorite Things\u201d to children frightened by a thunderstorm. She calms the children by encouraging them to turn their attention to the things they love rather than what they fear.<\/p>\n

In the narrowest sense, the scene comes across as a simple exercise in distraction and, in defense of Christopher Plummer, certainly qualifies as sentimental and gooey. But, in a broader sense, it points to a more fundamental truth: How we feel is dictated at least in part by where we choose to put our attention, or perhaps more helpfully, our INtention. But as we know all too well, sometimes the dog really does bite, the bee stings, and COVID creates significant stresses. So, what then?<\/p>\n

Intention, Attachment\u00a0and Wu Wei<\/h3>\n

Dave Potter has explored the landscape of acceptance of difficult situations throughout his career, including as a mindfulness-based stress-reduction instructor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In an online article for Mindful Leader \u2014 read it at bit.ly\/3BNZ5cw<\/a> \u2014 Potter explored the concept of mindful acceptance by distinguishing between intention and attachment: \u201cIntention is the degree to which we are committed to a certain value or outcome, how much time and energy we are willing to dedicate to make something happen. Attachment is more subtle, a measure of how much we are emotionally entangled with our own expectations and projections.\u201d<\/p>\n

Potter noted that these four combinations can be created:<\/p>\n