Half Full or Half Empty?

Have you ever noticed how some people have a habit of focusing on all the things that could possibly go wrong, on the things or people they don't like, or on what's missing in their lives? And is it any coincidence that when people do this they feel less happy with their lot?

Ok, there will be times when a healthy dose of realism is useful for each of us. And being human means we do face challenges from time to time. But too much attention placed on the negative can do more harm than good.

For starters, how do you feel when you think about problems or failings? I know that when I fall into the trap of focusing on what's not good the resulting stress and tension doesnt feel very good. Contrast this with how you feel when you think about your successes and dreams instead. Aren't those feelings of excitement, fun and joy much more pleasurable? ;-)

Secondly, there's now growing evidence that 'what we think about comes about'. In other words, whatever we keep focusing on is more likely to appear in our lives. For instance, when we repeatedly think about stress and illness, messages are sent to the cells and chemical reactions in our bodies, our thoughts become fulfilled and we get ill! On the other hand, scientists have discovered that positive thoughts and feelings can trigger neuropeptides in the body which are responsible for a range of beneficial functions such as cellular repair and pain management.

The Power of Imagination
Doctors at Yokahoma City University in Japan showed that 84% of people taking part in an experiment could eliminate the standard histamine response to poison ivy. The itching, swelling and blisters disappeared when the participants under hypnosis simply imagined the poison ivy to be a harmless plant. And what's more, a large number of participants broke out in blisters when they reversed the experiment and imagined the harmless plant to be poison ivy!

Law of Attraction
Best sellling authors Esther and Jerry Hicks (http://www.abraham-hicks.com/) teach that when we continue to focus on what we want, or don't want, we'll attract it into our lives. They also teach that many of us are already creating by default as we are getting what we pay attention to whether we want it or not!

So what kind of thoughts are dominating your thinking? Are you creating what you want, or are you getting what you don't want?

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  Look around for a moment. What are you most happy with in your life? And what kind of thinking brought those things, people or situations to you?
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  Now notice anything that you're less happy with. What kind of thinking brought those into your life? What changes would you like to make? What changes in your thinking will you make?
  

Be kind to yourself, take a 'half-full' approach to life, focus on the good stuff and enjoy the results ;-)

And remember "You get what you think about whether you want it or not!" Abraham - Hicks

Thanks for reading
Til next time
Have fun!
Denise x