What You Focus On Is What You Get
As human beings, we can spend a lot of time focusing on and thinking about what we don’t have or what we don’t want.
And that’s natural for us to do. We don’t want to be overweight, we don’t want to be unhealthy, we don’t want to be lonely, we don’t want to worry about money. We are usually able to describe in detailed language those things that trouble us, or those people who, according to our way of thinking, are not behaving how we would like them to behave. If asked, it can be challenging for us to put into words what we actually like or appreciate about our lives, or what we are proud of achieving in the past.
Sometimes we don’t realise that we have the choice to focus on what we actually do have and what we can be thankful for. If we can learn to dedicate our thoughts and focus to what we have, or even what we want, then we will filter in more evidence of that, and then experience it more. What you focus on is what you get.
If you accept that whatever you focus on increases, then you must accept that when you focus on the lack of something or what is needed, then you will get more lack and more need. We have all experienced unhappy events in our past, and if we focus on them and picture them, we can feel those unhappy feelings now. Have you ever gone to an awful movie? Would you pay to go back and see that movie again and again? Of course not.
Yet we go back and watch ourselves in our least favourite roles, playing against our least favourite leading ladies or men. Why play out our business losses or poor career decisions again and again? Of course these B movies are not limited only to your past experience. You can focus on something right now that you’re missing out on, and feel bad. Better still, you can focus on something that hasn’t even happened yet and feel bad about it in advance!
Though you may laugh at this now, unfortunately that’s what many of us do each day. Good news is that this works for the positive too. Focus on a loving or happy moment in your life, or a proud achievement of yours, and you will feel that love and pride now.
When you learn to focus on what you have achieved, or what you have now, or what you love and what you are grateful for, you will attract more love and gratitude. Focus on positive things that haven’t happened yet and feel good about them in advance. Focus on love and kindness and you will experience more love and kindness. It really works.
After all, what we focus on is what we get!
A popular parable is of a grandfather teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
His grandfather simply replied, “The one you feed.”
