In some very real sense, we all are shaped by what we pay attention to. Fill your mind with violence, and you’ll become more violent. Fill your mind with pornography, and you’ll become more lustful and objectifying. Fill your mind with cynicism, and you’ll narrow your eyes in suspicion and skepticism. And what holds true for negative thoughts and behaviors is equally true for positive thoughts and behaviors. Like poet Mary Oliver said, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.”8
