Focus on What You Want, Not What You Have

What we focus on is what we see

Or in the words of Shakespeare: “Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

It’s tempting to think that something is “good” or “bad.” But those qualities are just decisions based on where we put our focus. Losing a job could be “bad.” Or it could be the best thing that ever happened to you because you finally get to start your own business. A divorce could be “bad.” Or it could simply be best for everyone to start anew.

Whether conscious or not, where we focus our attention is where our energy goes too. So if you spend all your time thinking about how hard or bad something is, guess what? It will be. If, on the other hand, you focus on the idea that a great opportunity is right around the corner, you’ll begin to see opportunity everywhere.

Are you focused on yourself or others?

All too often, it’s easy to get caught up in what other people are doing. And we all know how easy it is to see other people’s shortcomings and obvious missteps. What happens though, is that we get so focused on their behavior that we forget to pay attention to our own and pretty soon we find ourselves either being critical of others and hyper aware of their mistakes, or we become jealous of the results others are seeing and we don’t appreciate our own progress.

Tips for shifting your focus

• The situation is not bad, so how can you turn it into an opportunity instead of an obstacle?
• Remember that constant forward momentum will never lead toward failure.
• Focus on your goals and your progress and you won’t be discouraged by other people’s success.

Is your focus helping you…or is it time to refocus on something new? How can you change your focus to see opportunity instead of obstacles? What can you focus on to create new possibilities?

Where you focus determines your outcome, and thankfully, that is entirely up to you.

What outcome will you choose?

– Jenna Lee, RD