What Are You Paying Attention To?

What are you thinking about?

What do you spend your time worrying about?

What do you notice?

What do you pay attention to?

What bugs you?

What excites you?

What we notice or pay attention to tends to multiply. There becomes more and more of it, because we're now thinking about it.

For example: If I said, "I love Golden Retrievers. Do you?" Now you're noticing Golden Retrievers.

Or if I said, "Don't think about elephants."

What are you now thinking about? Elephants.

The same is also true for emotions.

You're thinking: "What if the car breaks down on our vacation?"

What do you feel? Anxiety. Fear.

What are you paying attention to? The possibility of the car breaking down, and the anxiety and fear you are feeling.

Then what happens? You start thinking more and more about the car breaking down, and your anxiety and fear start escalating. Not very pleasent at all.

It's like a dog chasing it's tail. It goes on and on until something interrupts it.

Before I got to meet my grandson in person for the first time, I kept thinking about and imagining getting to hold him. That thought brought joy and inner peace to my whole being.

This was a very pleasent thought and feeling, and both continued to get bigger and bigger until I met him.

Some of our thoughts can take us on wild goose chases, multiple detours, and keep us stuck for whatever reason. And other thoughts can take us on grand adventures, great discoveries, inner knowing, and connections with others.

Basically, are you a glass half-full or a glass half-empty kind of person?

(I used to be a glass half-empty kind of person. Then I focused on and changed my thinking. I'm now a glass half-full kind of person.)

What kind of thoughts do you want to focus on?

The challenge is to notice what you're noticing, and then learn how to change your thinking.

In September I'm offering a Free 5-Day Challenge: Empower Your Thoughts: Conquer "What Ifs" and Thrive! It's a good place to begin to transform your thinking and your life. Hope to see you there.

To Your Courageous Self!

Edie

Transformational Coach

PS As a result of working with me, women will recognize their courage, gain clarity on their dreams and goals, be empowered, and heal the pain of past trauma.

I'm looking for women who are ready to stretch outside their comfort zone, break through their own limiting beliefs, and Move Beyond Survival to experience a life of health and well-being. -- Who do you know? I would love to work with them.