Skip to main content

What We Focus On Increases

What is good and right in your life? 

When we are feeling overwhelmed, overburdened and that life is hard, it can feel too much to even try to find things to be grateful for. It can feel like yet another thing we’re failing at. We know we have much to be grateful for and feeling low, depressed, overwhelmed or not able to cope when we, logically speaking, have so much to be grateful for can add to the guilt we already feel.

Particularly as perfectionists, it can be easy to focus on the 2% we have not achieved. On the flaws. On the problems. On what is not working, not done, not good. On the issues we are facing with our spouse. On the worries we have for our children. On the frustrations we have with others in our lives. 

When our focus is on these things, it can become all we see. Think just for a moment about when you learn you are pregnant, or when desiring to have a baby. Suddenly you begin to see pregnant women and babies everywhere! It is because your mind is focused there.

What we focus on increases.

If our attention is on flaws, on what’s not working, on what’s not done, on what’s not good, on all we have yet to do, we can begin to despair. We can feel burdened. We can feel stretched and overwhelmed. 

But we can learn to switch focus. 

We can learn to see the 2% that is not achieved, but focus on the 98% that is.
We can learn to see the flaws, but focus on the strengths. 
We can learn to see the problems, but focus on the solutions.
We can learn to see how much more growth we have yet to do, but focus on how far we’ve come.
We can learn to see what is not good or right in our lives, but focus on what is.
We can learn to see what may annoy us about our spouse, but focus on what pleases us about them.
We can learn to see our imperfections, but focus on where we are good enough.
We can learn to see the triggers, but focus on the glimmers.

What we focus on increases. 

It is within your control to increase the good in your life. Despite being reminded of the benefits of having “an attitude of gratitude”, it can be difficult to implement practically day to day. 

What if you were to think of writing a Thank You note to God? 
What if, each morning before the day begins, you were to sit and consider all of the things in your life that are good and right? The elements of your life that you would appreciate remaining unchanged? There are some. We have just become distracted. Our focus has been elsewhere.
 
Dear God, I thank You for all that is good and right in my life, including…

Ask God to help switch your focus so that these things that are already good and right can increase

With our focus on what is good and right, our minds will be free to make imperfect progress: to ponder and act on what is within our control to change. To not only remove obstacles to our happiness, but actively bring about happiness and abundance in our lives.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you” Matthew 6:33

Focus first on God, the source of all that is good and right. Focus then on self care. Focus on the next right action. Focus on good enough being good enough. 

Focus on what is good and right and it will increase in your life beyond measure.

Take care of you and Let Truth Bloom.



If you enjoyed this post, you can choose to follow my blog and be notified by email when new posts are published.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vision Board

What do you want? A simple question, perhaps… but not one that may be all that easy to answer. Do you know what you want? I am not asking if you know how to go about getting what you want; but rather if you know what it is your heart desires? It is very easy for me to have a fleeting idea of what I may want and then quickly depart to “but we don’t have the time for that now” or “but that is far too expensive” or “we have small kids so that’s just not a possibility for us” or “with work and family commitments that isn’t doable” or hundreds of other logical reasons as to why my desire cannot be fulfilled.  And that is where I used to stop. Allowing my desires to be limited by the bounds of my own imagination. Quenching those desires before they had a chance to see the light of day. There was also a deeply ingrained perception I seemed to have that it was selfish to have desires. It took a lot of practice to get in touch with what I truly want. Honestly, it still takes effort. Even when

Self-Care: Isn’t That Selfish?

Are you responsible for taking care of others? Do you usually put other people’s needs ahead of your own? Do you feel selfish when you have needs or desires of your own? Do you feel like taking time for YOU is wrong? Have you learned that the right thing to do, the Catholic thing to do, is to deny your needs in favour of the desires of others? Are you wondering why continuously doing so is leaving you feeling drained, unfulfilled and resentful? As mothers, we see very quickly how the neglect of a need in our children develops swiftly into meltdown: an emotional outburst, overwhelm, anger, drama, tears. Yet we expect that, because we are adults, the consistent suppression of our own needs will have no such consequence.  Why is it that we consider the presence of our  own  needs as wrong or bothersome? And the taking care of those needs as unnecessary or redundant? Do we think we are exempt from being human? Are we expecting ourselves to be super-human? I don’t know about you, but withou