Many of us feel that we are at the whim of life – just keeping up, just doing the best we can, just taking it as it comes. When we live like this, we begin to judge and control what comes our way because it fundamentally defines how we feel.<\/p>\n
For example: Or, conversely, that thing is _______ (\u201cgreat,\u201d \u201cgood,\u201d \u201cwonderful,\u201d etc) because it makes me feel _______ (\u201cgood,\u201d \u201chappy,\u201d \u201csuccessful,\u201d \u201cconfident,\u201d etc).<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Both these sentences depict a state-of-being that is dependent on an external factor. And while experiencing feelings as a result of the world around us is normal, it can get us in trouble when we can\u2019t control the world around us. In other words, when we live the majority of our day from this perspective of life, we start trying to control life, and at best, we start having a really strong opinion about our day and letting others know about it. And if there is no one to hear us, then we start telling ourselves, which can be draining and stressful to our inner listener.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve noticed this in my own life. When I feel that my \u2018to-do\u2019 list is rivaling the length of the yellow-brick road, I can feel, too, like I\u2019m keeping up with my day rather than feeling like I\u2019m meeting my day with presence from moment to moment. This is my preferred experience of a day and I find that this experience is something I can influence, so I let myself have an opinion and feel invested. The other day, I became aware of feeling like I was keeping up, so I took a deeper look at where this experience was coming from. How did I get myself into feeling like this? I felt revved up, out of the moment, disconnected, and worried. And through that investigation, I was reminded\u2026[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” offset=”vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs”][image_with_animation image_url=”462″ animation=”Fade In” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][image_with_animation image_url=”463″ animation=”Fade In” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]I was reminded that we have the power to focus our minds\u00a0wherever<\/em>\u00a0we want. It\u2019s our freewill, our right. And when I start focusing on the tasks in front of me\u00a0rather<\/em>\u00a0than the emotional state I am\u00a0bringing<\/em>\u00a0to the tasks, I start to feel like I\u2019m keeping up. Fascinatingly, when I\u2019m disconnected from what I\u2019m feeling in the moment, I start to just show up to the \u2018to-do\u2019 list; meaning, I start to focus on \u201cgetting things done\u201d and reacting to life, rather than consciously creating my day\u2019s experience!<\/p>\n \u201cBut what if I don\u2019t want to feel what I\u2019m feeling in the moment?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0you ask. I hear you. And I\u2019ll say it like this,\u00a0awareness<\/em>\u00a0of what we are feeling has nothing to do with whether or not we have to feel it long term. Bringing awareness to a feeling we might not want to feel \u2013 like overwhelm \u2013 simply gives us the opportunity to\u00a0choose<\/em>\u00a0something different. Recognizing our ability to influence our day can be a total game-changer, and it starts with recognizing how powerful we are.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Sharing personally again, I was running through my list the other day and I was feeling disconnected. My disconnection was amplified in the reflection of the landscape I was driving through. Breathtakingly beautiful fields of green, thick canopies of trees blowing in the wind, the sun shimmering over a vast lake, and mountains reaching out of the horizon into a blue sky.\u00a0Yeah, if you\u2019re seeing that and you don\u2019t feel anything about it, I advise you to stop and check in.<\/em>\u00a0So that\u2019s what I did. I stopped. And I simply turned my attention to my state of being. I noticed I was running through what I had to get done that day, but at the expense of being present (which, by the way, can make getting things done sort of painful). I took a breath and re-focused my attention on the wild amounts of gratitude I have for my life right now. And suddenly, the scene around me became brighter. I heard birds I hadn\u2019t heard, I felt the temperature (yes, the windows were down), I felt the air move through the car, and I reached over and turned on some music and started to sing. Guess what? I got to where I was going in the\u00a0same<\/em>\u00a0amount of time and I got all the things completed that I had slated for that day. And guess what else? It all happened inside a rich and full experience of presence. How did I make that happen? I chose to shift my focus. From overwhelm to gratitude. I decided to activate the feeling I wanted to feel and bring it\u00a0to\u00a0<\/em>my day. I became a conscious creator.[\/vc_column_text][image_with_animation image_url=”464″ animation=”Fade In” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][vc_column_text]When we choose what we focus on, we let life off the hook. Yes, we stop blaming life and external circumstances for \u201cmaking us feel\u201d the way we feel. Instead, through our awareness, we bring agency to the moment and energize an emotional state of our choice. External circumstances can influence us only to the degree we allow it. Am I a total pro at this?\u00a0Nope<\/em>. Do I need reminding?\u00a0Yes<\/em>. Does this teaching give me access to living a more satisfying life? One that can support others and celebrate a beautiful day?\u00a0Yes<\/em>.<\/p>\n In conclusion, I invite us all to keep caring deeply about life. But let\u2019s care a-heck-of-a-lot more about what\u2019s happening\u00a0inside<\/em>\u00a0of us rather than what\u2019s happening\u00a0outside\u00a0<\/em>of us. Focus on what you\u00a0can<\/em>\u00a0control rather than giving your power away to that which you can\u2019t.<\/p>\n Enjoy Discovering You![\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]\n
\nThat thing that happened with the family or that thing that happened at work is ______ (fill in judgingly descriptive word here, like \u201ccrappy,\u201d \u201cbad,\u201d \u201chard,\u201d or \u201cchallenging\u201d) because it makes me feel \u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad_____\u00ad\u00ad\u00ad__ (fill in feeling word here, like \u201cstressed,\u201d \u201cscared,\u201d \u201csad,\u201d or \u201cangry\u201d).<\/em><\/p>\nThe Power of Focus<\/h3>\n