What we focus on grows. If we focus on what we don’t have – we’ll have even less, and if we focus on what we do have – we’ll have even more.
The reason for this is that our energy flows where our attention goes. This is where it gets interesting though… do you know what the root cause of suffering is in human beings? I’ll give you a hint it has to do with focus. That’s right, it’s our own thought-forms that we identify with as being real. The moment we make our thoughts real by giving them undue attention they become our reality.
Now, reality has nothing to do with our thoughts as they are linear in nature and can’t exist in the present. They are either of the past or the future. When we dwell on negative thoughts from the past or fearful thoughts of the future that is when we suffer.
When we allow these thoughts to come and go without getting attached to them, just like clouds float by in the sky, then the mind stays calm, clear, and alert. In this calm, clear state there is no suffering to be found. Let me be clear… nothing we ‘think’ is real – it’s a thought about reality. For example, you may look at an apple and think, “it’s an apple’ and you wouldn’t be wrong because whatever we think is true is true for us.
However, if you were to look at the same apple underneath and electron microscope at 100,000 times the magnification the apple disappears and all that’s left is atoms and molecules. And, if you look closely at an atomic structure of any kind you’ll find it’s 99% space. So what is true about an apple? It actually doesn’t exist – yet it does because we make it so.
The reason why this is so important is that you and I are the ones that are giving meaning to every thought-form that arises in us and when we do be it positive or negative – that is how our life looks and feels. We can change how things look and feel real easy by changing the way we look at things. It’s like when you are looking at something real close that appears scary and all of a sudden you are transported to the top of a mountain and now it seems so small and insignificant.
Thoughts are not meant to control our reality yet because we don’t understand the nature of the mind inevitably they do for most people. Just like 99% of fear is imagined in our head (thoughts) so too are the millions of ways we look at life that keep us stuck in doubt, lack, loneliness, or struggle – it’s all just thoughts.
The way out is to go within and realize that we are not our thoughts or emotions. We are not even our bodies. Yes, they exist but they are not the truth of what we are.
And until we have glimpses of ourselves beyond the bombardment of our tens of thousands of thoughts a day, then we’ll always be trapped in a prison of our own making.
What we focus on grows so it is up to us to focus on those thoughts that empower us and support us to explore more love, joy, happiness, and freedom. To do this it helps to have a growth mindset rather than a fixed one as rigid thinking literally gets us nowhere.
Get curious about your mind because it’s the part of us that we spend the majority of our time in so it makes sense to make friends with it. To do this though requires retraining of our relationship with the mind.
As we train our mind to become more present and engaged with what we are doing in the moment – free from distraction or judgment, and aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting attached to them – we become free.
In teaching the mind to be present, we are teaching ourselves to live more mindfully – to not get caught up in reactive thoughts or feelings – which is highly useful when faced with challenging circumstances or situations.
If you want to dive deeper into conversations like this then come join us in my Facebook Group – Transcend Limits and see you on the other side 🙂
