#2 - The Hijacking of Attention: Reclaiming Our Agency

SummaryThis episode is about attention — and how easily it can be pulled into places that don’t serve us.I talk about a recent moment where I let a few hurtful comments take up far more space than they deserved. Before I realised it, I’d lost a week to spiralling, negative self-talk, and a kind of emotional fog that can be hard to climb out of once you’re in it.Reading the opening chapter of Never Play It Safe by Chase Jarvis helped me see what was really happening. It reminded me that attention isn’t neutral — where you place it shapes how you see yourself, how you feel, and what you’re able to create.In this episode, I reflect on what it means to reclaim your attention when it’s been hijacked, and why choosing where your focus goes is essential if you want to heal, stay creative, and move towards the life you’re trying to build.More on This...This episode came out of a week where I lost my footing a little.One comment.A handful of words.And suddenly my attention was pulled into a place it didn’t belong.I found myself replaying what was said, giving it more weight than it deserved, and before I realised it, I’d lost a whole week to spiralling and negative self-talk. If you’re sensitive, neurodivergent, or simply human, you might recognise that feeling — how easily attention can turn into a kind of self-imposed prison.As I was slowly finding my way back, I was reading the opening chapter of Never Play It Safe by Chase Jarvis — the chapter on attention. The timing couldn’t have been better. It reminded me that attention isn’t neutral. Where you place it shapes your inner world, your confidence, and your sense of self.In this episode, I reflect on:how attention gets hijacked by hurtful commentswhy dwelling on negativity costs more than we realisethe link between attention, identity, and agencyand what it means to consciously reclaim your focusThis isn’t about pretending hurt doesn’t land. It does. But it is about recognising that you still have a choice in where your attention lives next — especially if you want to protect your creativity, your mental health, and the life you’re trying to build.If you’ve ever lost days — or weeks — to something that didn’t deserve that much of you, I hope this episode meets you where you are.haroon---------Here's a few takeaways I want you to have:How easily a few hurtful comments can take over your attention — and how quickly that can spiralWhy letting negativity dominate your inner world costs more than you realiseHow choosing where your attention goes can change your mood, your energy, and your creative outputWhy reading has become a way for me to regulate my nervous system and find calm againWhat it means to reclaim your agency when your attention has been hijackedHow Chase Jarvis’ idea that “attention shapes identity” landed for me at exactly the right...