“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” – Aristotle Onassis
Did you ever notice how effortlessly we can focus on all of the things that are going wrong? My mom tells this story about when she took me to the circus as a kid. She bought me balloons and one of those cool lights to wave in the air during the show. We watched in amazement at clowns and elephants, acrobats and horses. It was my first time seeing the circus, and I had a fantastic time. On our way out of the arena, I spotted it. A fluffy pillow of pink and blue sugary goodness… cotton candy! But, it was time to go home, it was late and certainly not the time for more sugar. I asked, and the answer was no. I’d like to say that I didn’t allow her answer to ruin my mood or wonderful evening we had had up until that point, but that was not the case. Because I couldn’t get what I wanted, I was no longer having fun; in fact, I cried all the way home. I allowed one little thing to ruin a wonderfully magical evening. This was not one of my finest moments, and I was only 4 years old. But how often do we behave in the same way as adults?
How often do we experience a situation or a circumstance and allow that to determine how we respond to this beautiful life we have been given. Far too often, we allow negative emotions to rampage through our lives, completely overshadowing the superior, ever-present good. Why do we tend to give temporary negative situations more weight than the ever-expanding, ever-present goodness that continuously abounds? Why do we view our lives in the light of momentary conditions and circumstances? Unfortunately, most of us have learned the practice of improper focus? Are you living life in light of the negative experiences that take place? Are you prone to obsess over things that you can not control? Do you have a hard time finding the good when things go wrong? If you have answered yes, that is a sign that it is time to recalibrate our vision to see life in proper focus.
“For I’m trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.”
Christ power is a conscious awareness that we are not merely physical beings, but spiritual beings, divinely connected to the source that created us. When we live in this truth we have the ability to connect with the power that creates universes and know that all things are working for our good and benefit. In this knowing we can give thanks for all that is. This is the secret to re-calibrating our focus so that no matter what occurs in our life, we remain in peace in joy. Thanksgiving of all that is. It is a practice that we must exercise daily, when we feel good and when we don’t. We must learn to create and intensify momentum around the ever-expanding good we experience every moment of every day.
I usually write about things that I am currently working on. Sharing my experience helps me to integrate what I am learning into my being and daily practice. While writing this blog, I admittedly was struggling with my focus. I have learned how to stabilize in a typical environment, but this new environment has much more resistance, it requires a keener focus. During my meditation walk I came across a beautiful video from Mooji, one of my favorite teachers, that left me in tears. It was a perfect lens I needed to correct my focus, I trust it will do the same for you. I am thankful that what we need is always available when we trust that good is ever-present.