Change Focus

Do ever find yourself naturally a bit irritated, impatient, or trying to rush through something in order to find the rest that comes afterwards? It’s quite easy to become irritated with life when it feels like you need to just put up with a bunch of tasks in order to avoid pressure. The very mindset that drives us to finish tasks could also be the mindset the drives us to hate doing them. However, life requires us to be diligent, and because we have work to do, we’d be better of in a positive mindset.

Drivers in Korea are often aggressive and impatient. It isn’t unusual to see cars stopping in the right lane, blocking the entire lane to illegally park for a few moments for the sake of convenience. My patience is always tested whenever I see cars doing this and other related, irresponsible behavior. No matter how many times I see this happen, I just can’t seem to grow accustomed to it. I find myself honking at these cars and allowing the frustration to linger longer than it should.

I realized that I was allowing a lot of focus to be put upon the negative moments that were bothering me. Why haven’t I spent at least the equivalent amount of time appreciating what good things I have going on in my life? I realized that I had taken for granted the blessings and gifts that I had in my life. I simply accepted them as the way that things should be.

Every time I feel upset about something, I try to make an effort to forgive it immediately. It doesn’t mean that the person is right or I believe that wrong behavior is ok. However, I do this because I need to get the negativity out of my own head so that I don’t unconsciously spill that energy into my friends and family. Besides, who am I to be the judge? I’d rather let God take it into His own hands – He’s better qualified for that job than I am.

I also make a conscious effort to think of at least three things that I’m grateful for. If I feel bothered, I just start to focus on things that really make me happy and begin to pray for the frustration to subside. If I can focus on what I’m grateful for, then I’m inviting more of that positivity to flow into my life. People resonate with the kind of energy that we put out, whether we are conscious of it or not. Positivity and appreciation can do wonders for our lives. If we make a habit of it, we allow ourselves to create a lifestyle based around gratitude. The world could definitely use more grateful and positive people.

For further related reading, please check out: Responding to Negativity.