Where I place the focus my attention makes a difference in how I experienced my life.

Have you seen the basketball video? If not, have a look:

If I’m in a bad mood I tend to see things that are likewise bad. If I’m in a good mood I tend to see things that are likewise good.

This causes a natural feedback loop that tends to amplify itself.

So if I’m in a bad mood, how do I get myself out of it? The best way that I know of this is simply say (or otherwise recognize) “this too shall pass.”

If I’m being squished on the train and can’t breathe very well, I think “wow this is my chance to have this experience! It won’t last forever, and it won’t happen exactly like this ever again.”

If my bare toes get scuffed or squished or bleed due to stubbing a concrete curb, I think goodness I get to go around barefoot most the time. Most curious of all(*), I thank goodness for the chance to wear shoes so I don’t have to worry about my feet being injured.

(* As a positive preventative measure, I thank goodness that my feet rarely get injured and therefore I go barefoot most of the time anyway.)

In short, I can choose how I focus on something no matter what the situation. If, hypothetically, I were to be yelled at by an immigration officer for overstaying my visa, I would again focus on the temporal nature of the moment, and bless the man for doing his job in the best way he knows how.

Choosing to focus on the positive aspects of things allows me to experience more of the positive aspects, and therefore have more positive experience overall.