A Change of Focus

Having a road map of life would be nice.  Then you would know where your going, what your supposed to be doing and why.  Boy that would sure end a lot of worrying, wondering, blaming, and crying.  All of those very real and very deep emotions that come along with just not knowing what the future holds.

And lets face it, the future doesn't seem to look very bright.  What with wars, health care, the economy, the housing market, oil prices, energy prices, food prices.  Need I go on?  How many of us are lying awake at night wondering what on earth you are going to do, wondering how your going to just survive.

The good news is that there is something you can do. It doesn't involve changing the world.   I'm not going to lie, it's not as easy as many people say...until you get the hang of it.  It involves lots of time thinking.  And thinking by the way is not hashing things out in your mind, mulling things over, analyzing the situation and worrying.  That is just busy work.

So here is the most simple place to start.  Start with you.  This simple step is the key to getting rid of all the worry, blame and guilt.  It gets rid of the what ifs and the negative self talk.  But it takes work, did I already mention that? 

OK, are you ready?  Here it is, Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.  Did you know that you have everything you need, right in this moment to change your circumstances?  Do you have a pen and a piece of paper?  You do?  Good.  Then you have what you need.  Now use that pen and paper to write down what you want.  Do you want more time with your family, more money, travel, more time to help others, a cleaner house, a good night sleep?  Whatever it is, write it down.

Now look at that list.  How do you feel about those things?  Do you feel good?  If so, your on the right track.  Now here is the hard part.....keeping that good feeling when everything seems to be going wrong.   Success is not determined by thinking good thoughts sometimes, but by thinking good thoughts all of the time.

Review your list several times per day.  Look at it when you are feeling down, stressed out or worried.  This helps to put perspective into things and changes your focus.  It may take a few days or several months for you to truly develop the habit of changing your focus.  But, knowing what you want is a good  first step.