“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.”
Joseph Campbell1904-1987, Author and Lecturer
All our lives we have been encouraged to focus, focus, focus. As children, our teachers taught us to focus on the lessons of the day, our parents taught us that we develop our skills through focus, and our friends demanded our focused attention when we hung out together.
As adults, we can take this one step further. We have more choices as to where we place our focus. Are you placing your focus on the joys of life or the pain? Have you noticed that the energy in your life unfolds around where you place your focus? It is important to recognize where we are placing our attention as we go about the business of living. Take a moment and evaluate. Am I focusing on the negative or am I focusing on the positive? See how you feel about certain areas of your life and make a concerted effort to shift to the gratitude if there are places for a more positive energy flow. It is a tool that we can use in life, teach yourself the habit of setting out positive thought patterns and they will become your default mode when you need them most. It is not always easy, but when you do take a moment and focus on the people, places and things that do bring you joy in life- it is like taking a small vacation from the stress anxiety and pain. (A much needed and well deserved vacation in today’s world) Little by little you will train yourself and the joy will burn out the pain. You gotta start somewhere- especially if you want to start living your best life. So make a commitment to a 21 day habit of thinking about something that you are grateful for and that gives you joy each day and before you know it you will be smiling more often! And, you will be teaching others to do the same.
