hile I was training as a Zen monk, I had the opportunity to open up my own private bank account in a nearby city. It was a small branch bank, and they were super strict with security and passwords.

Mostly I managed my account online, but one day I needed to complete a transaction in person. Along with the usual questions, the service specialist asked me my security question, “What is your favorite sport?” I promptly answered, “Meditation,” at which point we both had a good laugh.

But it’s true! It really was my favorite sport, and meditation is very much like a sport.

In the game of meditation, I am continually training my attention to stop wandering.

When it wanders, I “lose,” (because as a result, I go unconscious and I eventually suffer). When it stays with me, I “win,” (because I pay attention and experience presence, happiness, and clarity).

Of course, it’s a heated match that continuously shifts from moment-to-moment. No snoozing or watching from the sidelines in this game! Luckily it’s all practice, and in the end, I am always ahead for practicing.

As I’ve discovered, practicing never made me worse at anything.

Here’s how life appears to work: My attention can either be here in this moment, or be lost in opinions, judgments, beliefs, fantasies, speculations, distractions, and just everyday suffering.

One of two places: Here or not here.

Therefore, my life experience is dependant upon the focus of my attention.

By habit, it wanders off into trouble.

I don’t know how many of you go unconscious and as a result have your mind wander to what you are grateful for and how much you love and appreciate yourself, life, and the universe. But that’s not where my mind typically wanders. Not by accident.

Instead, my mind can be found straying down the dark alleys of what’s wrong and not enough, how there’s more I should be doing, having, and being. Lost in the past or the future. Obsessed with the current distraction my mind is impulse shopping with at the moment.

So mastering this wily attention appears to be where the gold is in this sport. And since happiness exists where my attention goes, it only makes sense to build my attention muscles to keep me playing in the present.

Over-and-over-and-over again.