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Where Is Your Focus?
Having severe back pain for
many years I realized one day that most of my attention and time
was spent on thinking about my pain, not on getting better. This
does not mean I was not trying to get better or that I did not want
to get better -- of course I did. However, the more pain I had the
more I focused on it. This left less energy for getting better.
As the saying goes, "Be careful
what you ask for because you just might get it." Well the same can
be said about thoughts. We tend to think the same thoughts over
and over again. I read once that today you will think 95% of the
same thoughts you had yesterday. This shows the importance of being
careful about what you think because you are creating through your
thoughts. You may not be consciously saying I want to create this
but it is happening because of repetitive thinking and giving energy
to what you do not want in your life.
How would we experience this
in our daily lives? I used to work for a very large high tech company
as a contractor. When I started working there, everyone told me
I would never be hired on full time. Some of the contractors had
been there longer than two years and firmly believed it was impossible.
I even heard it from the permanent employees. Now it would have
been very easy to focus on that and then believe it to be true but
I continued to believe I would be hired. I stayed focused on this
desire and sure enough six months later I got a permanent position.
Too often we focus on what
we don't want instead of what we do want. Have you ever had a headache
or maybe a pain in your body somewhere? This pain was driving you
crazy, then you started doing something that took your attention
away from it like seeing a movie or doing an activity that you love.
Then suddenly two or three hours later, you realize the pain was
gone or you had completely forgotten about it. The pain may have
disappeared or maybe once you stopped the activity your thoughts
went back to it and as soon as you did, it returned.
With a little practice you
can begin to change your experience of life. I found it easier to
start with a physical pain. However, you can begin to work with
your thoughts too. First, notice what you are thinking about your
pain. If you are feeling a particular emotion, notice where you
feel that in your body. For instance, maybe someone at work says
something that makes you angry and you notice that your belly area
feels tight and uncomfortable. Can you take a few breaths into this
area and release the tension? How does this affect your body, what
thoughts are you having now about the situation, and other person
involved? Did your thoughts change?
There is a lot to think about
from this brief article like: what am I focused on? What am I telling
myself repeatedly about my life, relationships or capabilities?
What and where do I feel in my body when I am upset or stressed?
Can I change the state of my body through my breath? Does this change
in how my body feels affect my thoughts? Think about these things
and begin to focus on how you can make subtle changes that can have
a dramatic effect in how you experience and live your life.
Remember when you begin to
recognize what you are focusing on, then you can begin to change
your experiences very rapidly. Be patient and know that there are
always deeper thoughts and beliefs that guide us daily that may
no longer serve our highest good or that have outlived their usefulness
in our lives. What are you focused on right now? You can use your
mind's habit of thinking the same thoughts to limit your experience
of life or to set yourself free. The choice is yours moment by moment
and thought by thought.
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