“When you let go of trying to get more of what you didn’t really need, it frees up oceans of energy that was caught up in the chase to now turn and pay attention to what you already have.”
— Brilliant words recently spoken by Lynne Twist.
It rings true that holding tightly to obsessions of lack and what is missing really only brings on more of the same: Lack. Focusing and appreciating the incredible gifts in our lives brings more and more of the same, as well. What is fascinating is how far this stretches into all realms of life. Lynne is known for her dedication to alleviating poverty and hunger and supporting social justice and environmental sustainability. She is also the founder of The Soul of Money Institute. Interestingly, money follows the same law of nature as do love, compassion, and friendship. Focusing on the strengths of each of these in our lives does actually bring on more. Focusing on how much money you have will harness the strengths of your finances and will grow more. Obsessing over the lack of money can send you into a spiral of future financial woes.
A strength-building tenant is to take the time to value and to appreciate what we do have. Just taking a moment to reflect on what we do have in our lives, we begin to feel a sense of calm and happiness washing over us. That positive sentiment allows us to take positive actions and to make positive decisions from a place of confidence. When we slip into obsessing and perseverating on the negativity and what is missing from our lives, we operate from a place of confusion and fear. Our choices are tainted by negativity and cannot deliver the same self-confident power and positive outcome.
The truth is: Focusing on anything will multiply your observance of it. You can experiment in your own life easily. Just imagine a color. Think Orange. Orange is not a very popular color, so it shouldn’t be too ubiquitous. But once you focus on it, you will see it everywhere around you. Too close to Halloween? I dare you to try it with turquoise. Your focus on the color will make it seemingly multiply. The very same is true for anything. The minute you focus on something — good or bad — you will see it boiling over in abundance. Our thoughts have power. Negative thoughts will brood more negativity and positive thoughts will multiply, too. Your thoughts have power. Your appreciation has enormous power, too.
