It is one of the laws of the universe – our energy flows to what we focus on. And as humans, it’s natural for us to focus on what isn’t working in our lives, what we don’t like about ourselves, or what we don’t like about others. Our negative focus is our ego’s way of protecting us but in reality, this is counterproductive.
Staying stuck
I’m all for encouraging people to look at the areas they want to improve, but there is a healthy way to do that (more on that soon). However, too many spend too much time focusing on their weaknesses, flaws, and past mistakes, and get caught in a perpetual state of guilt, shame and victimhood.
It’s not a great place to be, but lots of people seem to be stuck living their lives there. I’m sure you hear people constantly complaining about the same things day after day, and before you know it, those days turn into year after year.
As the years pass by, slowly their complaining begins to manifest as physical symptoms. Our minds and bodies work in alignment, so we can’t keep thinking defeating thoughts and expect our body to remain strong and healthy.
What to do instead
Now we get to the healthy way to reflect on areas you want to improve, or on past mistakes you’ve made. While you should take the time to look back, don’t allow yourself to wallow in it. Recognize and own your mistakes, but shift your mindset to view the past as a learning opportunity.
Next, be compassionate and forgive yourself. The words you speak to yourself are VERY powerful. They impact not just how you view the world, but what you attract into your life. If your words are focused on putting yourself down or condemning yourself, you will remain in that state, always feeling at a loss with despair embedded in your heart, body, and soul.
What I invite you to do is take action. Spend some time writing down five things you feel aren’t working out for you. Then write down what you want instead. This allows you to take the step of acknowledging on paper what isn’t working. Now you don’t have to keep ruminating over it!
The next step is to make an effort to focus on what you desire instead of the same old negative thoughts. It will take time to break your negative thought pattern because it’s become a habit, and you likely do it unconsciously.
But on the bright side, we can rewire our brain to switch our negative thoughts to positive ones. For more on this fascinating topic, I recommend Dr Joe Dispenza’s book Becoming SuperNatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon. If you aren’t a reader, you can also listen to it on Audible.
It’s all down to you
At the end of the day, you always have a choice. Don’t allow yourself to keep getting in your own way. Shift your focus to shift your life. You won’t regret it.