Which do you choose?

When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present--love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure--the wasteland of illusion falls away
and we experience heaven on earth.   -Sarah Ban Breathnach


This is one of those "that's easy to say" concepts.  In my life, I definitely have spent much more time focusing on what I didn't have than on what I had.  Over the last two decades, though, I've been able to shift my thinking so that I'm more focused on what I do have--all of the great things that are all around me--and my life is much richer and full as a result.  It wasn't an easy shift to make, though.  It took a lot of effort to constantly remind myself of the importance of being aware of what I was focusing on, and especially to catch myself when I was being negative, when I was focusing on the lack.

So now my main effort is to maintain my focus on what I do have and what is there in life for me to experience and enjoy.  I can go for a walk in the woods whenever I want, and I can see flowers or listen to very good music at any time.  Seemingly negative things still happen fairly regularly--life is like that.  But I try to deal with them as soon as I can and then move on.  If someone says something awful to me, I move my thoughts to people who are kind to me.  If I have to spend a lot of money to fix something, I focus on the money I do have and the things it allows me to do.

The most important word in the passage from Sarah, of course, is "choose."


http://livinglifefully.com/abundance.htm