Look this way instead…
I’ve been thinking about where we put our focus a lot recently… and it seems other people have as well. As I talked about this with a friend a couple of weeks ago, I received this in an email from the marketing guru that is Seth Godin:
“We get what we remember, and we remember what we focus on”
Last year, my car was broken into and my expensive rucksack and trekking gear stolen, while my friend and I were taking an extra little walk after a night of wild camping. I made a decision to be calm about it, to be grateful that it wasn’t my home and grateful that no-one was hurt in the process.
And it worked. I sorted the insurance and the next day I saw some amazing shorts in a sale that were even better than the ones stolen. I actually even surprised myself in my response.
And then three weeks later, out of the blue, I had a phone call from someone from the council who had found all of the cards that had been stolen, including my drivers’ licence, at the side of the road, had searched for me on facebook and then posted them all back to me!!!! I still haven’t got my tent etc back, and it was annoying, but choosing which bit to focus on really helped me.
This is definitely something I would have found a lot harder a few years ago, and something I’ve actively worked on.
I thought about it again yesterday as I went for my smear test (do it, ladies, it’s important!). I could choose to focus on the fact that it’s a bit uncomfortable and maybe a bit embarrassing (though I personally don’t really care) or I could focus on the fact that I’m so lucky to live in a country with a National Health Service, so I just got my cervix checked for cancer for free!
Don’t get me wrong, I put my focus in all sorts of challenging places on a regular basis. However, it’s been a game-changer to notice where I place it and how those decisions impact on my state of mind and general world-view.
Is there an area of your life in which you could make this shift? How would that serve you?