How to Shift A Negative Focus and Create Balance

Today’s world is full of distractions. These distractions can be educational, informative, and even enjoyable. Other times, they’re not and have the power to influence your moods, behavior and your wellbeing negatively. Your focus requires your participation and its best to focus on methods that positively benefit you. If you don’t, you willingly undermine your efforts of creating wellbeing. In other words, good or bad, what you focus on can become your future, and it all depends on the mindset and energy behind that focus.

Everyone at some point experience failure but how many successful people focus on their failures? They learn from them but certainly, don’t make the negatives of life their battle cry! It’s no secret that positive thoughts and visualization of the desired outcome plays heavily into many success stories.

But what if reality is showing you something different?

From time to time your reality won’t be peaches and cream, but nothing negative or positive lasts forever. Focus on this fact when you feel challenged. If you live long enough, there are three things in this life you will experience besides death and taxes. They are:

1) You will have negative experiences and problems.

2) You will continuously make mistakes both big and small.

3) You will judge yourself and be judged by others.

Try not to think too much on the latter – but rather practice and be comforted by the meaning behind the “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” No one should!

Sometimes it may feel impossible not to focus on the negatives especially if your sense of security feels threatened. Here’s an example, you’ve worked in your professional industry for years; you’re too young for retirement but yet you’ve just lost your job. You’re trying to stay positive, but you have no prospects in sight. Tough one yes? But yet there is a solution. Here’s another example, you’ve been happily married for many years (so you thought) but later you discover your spouse wants a divorce and is trying to take everything you got. Painful no? But yet there is healing and a solution available. These examples can become your dominant focal point because of the pain, anger or fear they cause. Thus negatively impact you and drag you down. The fact is, there is always a solution and a negative state of mind blocks or delays your ability to quickly identify them. Emotionally, it may be difficult to be positive, but you must focus on shifting emotionally out of that negative space.

So how can you shift your focus and find balance?

Here are a five (5) practical yet effective ways to tackle this challenge:

Avoid Fixating on What’s Wrong

If you’re human, you are not immune to the fears and worries that come with the territory of being alive. The problem starts when your focus becomes fixated on the negatives, thereby negatively impacting how you deal with it all. Obsessing over the hows, whats, when, and whys will drive you nuts! Not to mention it’s not emotionally healthy, productive nor support proactive change. I can almost guarantee you that if you approach anything from a pessimistic, and negative emotional perspective, you are bound to make decisions that will be negative. Sooner or later, those negative thoughts, beliefs, feelings and subsequent actions return to its place of origins (as with all things). So be careful of what you focus on. Your saving grace, if you will, is that you have full control of what you choose to focus on. So use that power wisely! I’m not saying it will always be easy, but I am telling you that you have control. From the control spot, you have endless possibilities and awareness of how to navigate from where you are to where you want to be. You no longer have control from a place of fear, anger or lack of belief in yourself or your options.

Do something positively distracting

Here’s where a positive distraction can be a secret weapon for you. Whatever lifts your mood and spirit in a happy direction, do it! You may not have a zero to sixty experience at first, but practice does make perfect in this case. When you are happy, your energy and vibration elevate. You become emotionally lighter, if only for that moment. Now, this is where the magic happens. In this positive space, you attract opportunities, people and insight into your consciousness and your life. What wasn’t visible becomes clear and it can only be for a few minutes that clarity and direction strikes. All you need to do is hold a positive space and shift your mindset towards positive things, and things will begin to start getting clear for you. Because you are human, your thoughts can veer back down that negative mindset, but your job is to redirect those thoughts and feelings from that space.

Here’s a thought, get a hobby or some other forms of positive and purposeful distractions. Make sure it’s pleasant, enjoyable, uplifting and positively nourishes your mindset and mood. It’s better to have a life full of what you want, choosing to focus on filling it up with more of those things than to focus on what you don’t have. So go ahead, fill your life with what works for you!

Be Flexible

Make no mistake about it; you will find yourself focusing on the negatives as you experience life. After all, you’re human. But the trick is not to stay in those moments of discomfort too long. Be flexible for necessary changes. Keyword: Necessary. What you want at this time may not be what’s needed to move you through the current challenge. Be open-minded and don’t buck against the current of what’s happening, especially if you don’t like what it is. Don’t resist but allow adaptability. In other words, adjust as needed until it’s ok to make your moves towards what you want. Step outside of your fears, anger or frustration and look at things from a solution driven perspective, not an emotional one. Doing so relieves the emotional heaviness of these negative emotions and allows for objectivity.

Ask for Help When Needed

Don’t be too proud to ask for help when you need it. There is no human being on this planet regardless of their status, background, and accomplishments which don’t need help from time to time. Yes, negative experiences can be emotionally draining, tiring and sometimes overwhelming. That’s why it’s so important to take action and get the help you need. Sometimes, there may be physiological changes happening to your body where attention and balance are required by a professional. Both emotional and physiological challenges at the same time can be a potent and overwhelming mix for anyone to deal with, but you don’t have to deal with it alone. Don’t believe the stigma you’re weak if you ask for help. Strength is knowing when you need help and having the courage to take advantage of it. A person walks the lines of ignorance and denial (which both are harmful) by pretending they don’t need help when they need it the most. Listen, what works for one person will not work for everyone else. Keyword: Works. So if it works for you, work it. But if it doesn’t, find what will. Don’t let yourself negatively spiral out of control or deteriorate your wellbeing by not asking for help. Be courageous, seek out and get the help you need.

Focus on the Desired Outcome

One thing is for sure. If you’ve overcome negative experiences in your past, you have the power to do it again! Because you’ve overcome before, you’re better prepared for the next time whether you feel you can or not. The important thing is to BELIEVE IT! You have the evidence of your past that proves it. I know a lot of people want proof, well there is it! Your proof-positive that you have the power to overcome any challenge because you’ve done it before. How quickly we all forget those times, our back’s were against the wall, and there seemed to be no light in sight. But yet, somehow we managed to find or create the light that was needed. And that my friend is your get out of jail card! Remember your past challenges and how you’ve overcome. There is no failure unless you stop trying, so DON’T … STOP … TRYING!

Your real focus should always be on what you want to experience, and what you desire to change. Spend your energy there in that space. There is nothing unrealistic about doing that. It’s called visualization, and it works, proven time and time again. What doesn’t work is wasting time looking your fears in the face and giving them your power. Doing this also guarantees failure.

So fuel your focus positively through thoughts and actions. Don’t waste time on what coulda, shoulda, woulda been. Don’t entertain temporary discomfort because if you do, it will last much longer than it should. Instead, focus on what can be done now and do it. Take one step, feeling and thought at a time and walk towards the desired outcome you want until you get it.

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