Focus on giving and you’ll get what you want.

I get totally fixated on things, usually things I want like a new desk, a goal at work or a certain pair of shoes. My mind is swept away in this physical world and my spirit is lost in the dust. It’s time to get re-centered. I think the self-help books about positive thinking & laws of attraction need to be amended. You may be able to manifest a great couch or parking spot, but the quest for the next one is right around the corner, lending to a life of me, me, me - want, want, want. Surely there are more substantial pleasures in this world.

When we fixate on what we want, there are two negative things that can happen.
1) We discount what we already have in our precious lives.
2) We become self-centered, dwelling on what we can ‘have’ and not paying attention to what we can give.

It’s important to pursue your dreams and having nice things is great. But if that’s what you’re living for, (and focused on) I’m afraid you’re setting yourself up for a life of longing. Wanting is part of our nature on some level, but providing is equally, if not more-so, in our DNA. Being focused on what we can obtain breeds a world of consumerism, greediness & a reality of never having enough. How about what you can do for your neighbor, the world? Do you know which friend’s in need, a loved one with a heavy heart, or even the person that would treasure your “old” smart phone when you ‘need’ to upgrade? Where is your focus?

When I focus on what I can give instead of what I can get, I find a happy place – a perspective of how rich I am in ways that really matter. I find more time for people, for a long phone conversation with someone that needs me or a visit with a lonely soul. When I’m giving, my heart feels full, my mind slows down and that restless spirit that’s chasing something superficial retreats.

A practice of giving instead of getting can become a mantra or meditation for a way of life. When living in this kind of focus, everything becomes balanced and more often than not, I find I get exactly what I really wanted.