Focus on the positive

In one of my previous post, The New York Attitude I wrote that the way we look at things determines the way we perceive them. If you expect people to behave in a certain way, they usually will not disappoint you and behave just like you thought they would. If you expect people to be nice; your focus is on nice people and you will notice all the nice people in your life. If you expect people to be rude; you will see them too. Maybe more than you wish for. It’s our focus that determines our attention.

A positive oriented person will see more good things happening in his life. He Sees more opportunities, where others don’t, and generally has a better, less stressful life.

We are overwhelmed with information: People we meet, tasks we have to perform or possible dangerous situations. Our minds are constantly filtering this based on the way our parents raised us, the country we live in, our education, our friends and past experiences. In other words, we behave the way our minds are programmed: our conditioning. Our attention, or state of mind, determines how we see and perceive the people and events in our life. So if you are a positive ortiented person, good chance this has everything to do with your conditioning.

It’s not only our focus that determines the way we see and perceive things. It’s also about the choices that we make based on our conditioning. Do we choose for security or for a more adventurous existence? Do we live a life based on fear, or on hope?

Let’s do a little test. Are you looking at things or situations in your life from the positive or from the negative side? Take a couple of minutes and think about this. I have listed some questions below which may help you:

  • During the last elections, how did you vote?
  • Is the current economic situation frightening you or do you see this as an opportunity; a change for the better?
  • Is your current job a steady one, or is there more uncertainty involved in (keeping) it and do you like it that way?
  • What are your next holiday plans? Did you visit the place before, or is this a new, maybe more adventurous, destination?
  • How about the relationships in your life?

Remember, there is no right or wrong here. The only intention of this post is to raise your awareness on your conditioning and how you perceive the people and events in your life. It’s only when you have this awareness that you are empowered to make changes.

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1 comment… add one
  • whats on my mind Jun 24, 2009 @ 3:47

    This is an insightful post Patrick. Our mindset is molded by whatever we give our focus and energy to. It’s easy to focus on the negative because it is the normal way of thinking. Normal, but not natural 🙂 Ryan

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