This class of exercises is intended to aid you in concentering your attention upon some material object not connected with yourself. Take some uninteresting object, such as a pencil, and concenter your entire attention upon it for five minutes. Look at it intently; everything of it; turn it over; consider it; think of its uses; its objects; of the materials of which it is made; the process of manufacturing, etc. Think of nothing else but the pencil. Imagine that your chief object in life is the study of that pencil. Imagine that there exists nothing else in the world but you and the pencil. "Only one world, and but two things in it, the pencil and I." Do not let your attention get away from the pencil, but keep it down to its work. You will realize what a rebellious creature your attention is when you try this exercise, but don't let him get the upper hand of you. It is very tiresome to him, but it is for his own good, so stick to it. When you have conquered the rebellious attention you will have achieved a greater victory that you now realize. Many a time in after life, when you need the closest attention upon some matter before you, you will thank me for "putting you on" to this exercise.

This exercise can be varied each day, always choosing some uninteresting and familiar object upon which to concenter the attention. Don't select an interesting object; for it requires no effort to concenter upon that. You need something that will seem like "work" to the attention. The less interesting the object - the more the work - and the better the exercise. The trouble with this exercise is, that you will soon run out of material, as the continued concentering of the attention upon uninteresting objects will, in the end, cause the attention, in self defense, to take an interest in the things upon which it concenters. However, when you have reached this stage, you will have but little further need of the exercise, as you then will be able to concenter your attention upon anything, or anybody.