Your Mind is a Magnet | So Focus on the Positive

 I have a few questions for you:

• What are you exposing yourself to and focusing your mind on, be it consciously or unconsciously? 
• The News? Trump? Brexit? North Korea? Global Pandemics? Social media? 
• How is what you expose yourself to impacting your mindset? Do you have a positive outlook on life, or is your mindset full of negative thoughts?
• Do you see the world as a happy, pleasant place, or do you see it as a dangerous, terrible place?

 
​I am asking you these questions because I have a quick story I want to share with you on the importance of being mindful of what we focus on. 
 
Because what we focus on significantly impacts our mindset. 
 
In the early 1990’s I lived in Tokyo, and at the time there was no such thing as the internet, nor were there any English TV shows or English newspapers. During my first few months of living in Japan, I didn’t overthink the fact that I had no access to the “outside” world; however, it hit me hard when I returned home to Vancouver, Canada for a visit. When I arrived home and began watching the local news on TV, I remember thinking that Vancouver was one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Why did I think that? Because after months of having no access to the news, I was now bombarded with endless negative news stories about my city.
 
Vancouver was not one of the most dangerous cities in the world; however, that is  how I perceived it because of my exposure to the news.
 
And that is how I became aware of how powerful our mind is and how easy it is impacted by what we focus on.
  
Someone recently said to me that she thought that the world had gone to hell in a handbag and when I asked her why she thought this, she rattled off a variety of topics circling the various news channels. My response to her was ‘has the world really gone to hell in a handbag, or is it that we have much more access to information, and specifically more negative information than we are used to?’
  
I don’t think there is any way to quantify and answer this question, but what I do know is that that if we focus on the positivity and beauty that is everywhere around us, both our inner and outer world will become much more positive.
  
I am not suggesting we bury our heads in the sand and pretend that the challenges of the world don’t exist; however, what I am suggesting, is that we ask ourselves this question: 
  
 How is what I am focusing my energy on, serving me and making me a happier, positive person?
 
I know that there is beauty and positivity everywhere; we just need to adjust our eyes and look for it.

Want to see a quick 2 minute video on the power of kindness? Watch the below: