Have you ever noticed that when you work really hard at fixing something, you can actually make it worse? I learned that years ago when I struggled with my weight. When I worked hard at dieting, I gained weight! I learned it again when I wrote a book. I tried hard to make it perfect and stalled out every time! Truth is, if I’d just relaxed, focused my attention on others, and had faith in myself, I’d have achieved my goals with far less stress and far more satisfaction.
My story may sound familiar. Truth is, if you grew up in the U.S., you were probably taught to try hard, and you were likely given “problems” to solve as a way of testing your knowledge. And throughout your life, you’ve been bombarded by headlines and advertisers alerting you to problems that need fixing! These alarms activate fear, our most inward focus. It’s so basic that it’s difficult to resist….(plus, it releases adrenaline, which is addictive!) See the cycle? Good marketers, journalists, and politicians know that fear sells. Even we know it, and yet we can still be drawn in.
There is another way. What if “All is Well” was your personal headline every day? What if you focused on maintaining a “vacation mindset”? Of course, you’d have to ignore “headlines” and deliberately choose to focus on what’s going right. Consider joining me on a “media fast”. Just try it for 30 days and see what happens! Simply cut out all media…social media, newspapers, radio, tv, magazines. You may just find an inner calm you’d forgotten you had. By choosing a focal point (i.e. intention, goal, favorite vacation spot, etc.), and shifting your focus away from how things “affect you”, you can regain your balance. You can also bulletproof yourself against the daily barrage of alerts that throw you off balance. It’s called inner peace, and if you can’t imagine it, here’s a good description:
SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE
by Saskia Davis
A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on
past experience.
An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
A loss of interest in judging other people.
A loss of interest in judging self.
A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
A loss of interest in conflict.
A loss of the ability to worry.
Frequent attacks of smiling.
An increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the
uncontrollable urge to extend it.