Focus on the good stuff

In my little fruitloopy world of happiness and rainbows and roses, I focus a lot on mindset and how to think in a different way but also be open minded and open to change. Sometimes this is exhausting, I kid you not.

But then I do things I enjoy, like reading, this is my favourite pastime, maybe write a little for fun and reflection or just cook something new and different, IF I have the time. This seems to be a problem in all of our lives “I don’t have time”. Which begs the question “Why?”

Too many distractions, too many things on the endless to-do lists and then trying to live life, enjoy life, rest, have fun and eat… And it becomes a problem. And like the words in the picture says, problems multiply like rabbits. But what if we made rabbit pie… Or sell these rabbits off to loving homes. In simple terms, rule them out, remove or solve the problem and move forward.

I read posts and articles about a day having 24 hours, divide it into 3, 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work and the other 8 hours should be spent with family, exercising and other things. Which I can’t remember at the moment. Did it make an impact on me? Yes and no.

The other post spoke about the 5am club and how successful people wake at 5am. Great and then, read, mediate, exercise, eat breakfast, plan your day and start working. They don’t mention waking up a six-year-old boy, making sure he is dressed appropriately, teeth brushed, hair sensible and shoes tied, then driving mindlessly to school, but also concentrating on other drivers since they are not fully awake and aware and might make some silly mistakes leading to unnecessary accidents.

These posts also don’t mention waiting in a queue for 5 minutes to find a parking spot to drop your kids off safely and then another 3 minutes at least for someone to give you a space to leave said parking spot, only for them to take up the space.

At this point you have had enough of the day and its problems. You see, the more you think about it, the more problems there will be. But you are over stimulated, exhausted because you woke up early hoping to be a better person and you are on the verge to burst out of your seams and shout swear words at everything and everyone.

How do we change this? How do we change the chaos and dreams and goals into opportunities when everything seems to be going wrong? And why can’t we follow some generic post and wise words to be on the 5am team?

The answer is simple – life happens. Life doesn’t come with a guide, life doesn’t have instructions, and not everyone has the same life.  Not everyone has the same dreams or motivation, and clearly some of us needs more therapy or stress relief than others.

In my experience and being driven to almost insanity, I realised, mindset is the goal. Being positive and focus on the important things. Imagine your mind is a garden… You plant the seeds. You water the seeds… the good seeds will grow, these are the things you love and enjoy, the bad seeds will disappear never to be seen again, this is the unnecessary things that won’t matter in the long run. For opportunities and seeds to grow, you have to water them, you have to nurture them, protect them from cold or scorching sunlight, and make sure the soil is good too, you need a solid foundation. And soon flowers bloom and butterflies and bees, come to visit.

You also need to pull out the weeds because if you water the weeds just a tiny bit, they will take over your whole garden. Problems and negativity will take over your mind, just like weeds. The weeds will kill your flowers and chase the butterflies away.

How do I keep my mind intact and positive? I focus on the things I am grateful for… I have a house to live in, I have a car to drive around in, I have enough food to eat a good meal and I have a silly family to keep me laughing and on my toes too. I watch the birds play in the garden and watch as my flowers start to bloom. I plant my chillies with pride and watch them grow. I smile at strangers and have good conversations with friends. And I keep my work positive with fun, laughter and jokes too.

This is my garden and this is what I water. Breed the good things and the oppertunities will come.