This week’s inspiration comes from my new writer friend, Kim Acedo, the blogger and podcast host who recently interviewed me for her “Me Time” podcast. In a recent blog post, she shared a simple thought that has stayed with me:
What you focus on expands.
Isn’t that the truth?
When we focus on eating healthy, our knowledge of nutrition and food choices expands. When we focus on cleaning up and decluttering, our attention to new or different methods of organizing expands. Even our everyday outlook, our attitude toward life, expands with focus.
For me, it seems when I look for the negatives, I find more negatives. And when I look for the positives, I see more positives.
What a great reminder to be mindful of our focus, right?
During the last six months, I’ve witnessed three dear friends “walk that talk” as they have planned weddings for their children. The range and degree of “non-traditional” approaches amazed me. Even more amazing, though, was how my friends handled it.
They looked for the positives.
Instead of focusing on how “different” the weddings were from their own (or any they had experienced!), my friends chose to focus on the creativity, independence, and uniqueness of their children and their ideas. Instead of questioning or judging those choices, they chose to embrace them, learn more about them, and in doing so learned more about their children and their spouses-to-be.
Granted, more than once, my friends shared their honest thoughts with me as they tried to process it all. After all, what are girlfriends for?
Yet, each would always end their confidences with that phrase that always keeps the peace in delicate situations, “But I kept my mouth shut.”
And so we do, when something matters more than our opinions.
Indeed, what you focus on expands. And so it did for my three friends who chose to focus on their love for their children.
Three beautiful weddings. Three happy couples. Three bright futures with no regrets.
How about you? Have you seen the benefits of focusing on the positives? Tell me about it. I’d love to know.
My best – always,
Becky (Nana B)
P.S. Thanks, Pete, for a great Mother’s Day visit, jam-packed with a wedding, dancing, two movies, shopping for a new iPhone, a country ham biscuit brunch, dinner out, and watching that blistering episode of Game of Thrones!
P.P.S. Our Pathfinders for Autism golf event was rescheduled for July 15 due to weather. Thanks for all who have contributed to Madison’s 1 in 50 campaign. I’m working on your thank you notes, hopefully all right-side up this time! Thanks for laughing WITH me last week.
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