Photographs are clearer when they are in focus. When they are out of focus, they are blurry, indistinct. How many times have you been disappointed by the result when the focus was off? Faces or objects are blurred, maybe even unrecognizable. Toss that one away, a poor-quality picture that does not meet the ideal you had in mind when you took it. Scratch it up to experience. Maybe blame it on the camera.
The quality of the real pictures that show up in your life is also largely due to the story that you are telling yourself, let’s rather call it focus. In the first place, the idea must be clearly held in mind. The result you desire to out-picture or manifest in your life must first be clearly and distinctly created in your imagination. It must be ‘in focus” that is, the components must be defined, clearly seen, and envisioned.
In the second place, as you go about the ‘doing’ necessary to effectuate the picture, you must remain focused on your goal and not allow yourself to get distracted by what is going on around you. Simple really, but it always amazes me how unfocused people are. Ask someone to describe their heart’s desire and 90% of the time, you cannot get a clear description from them. It is blurry and indistinct. Generalities but no specifics. Or a description of the picture by what’s not in it.
“I want health, wealth, and happiness”
“So what does health mean to you?”
“Well, you know, to not be sick.”
“So what does wealth mean to you?”
“Well, you know, to not be lacking.”
“So what does happiness mean to you?”
“To not be sad, dissatisfied.”
“I want peace.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, you know no more war.”
Not this, not that; defining the picture, the ideal by what is not in it, instead of what is in it. The trouble with focusing on ‘no more war’ is that you are still focusing on war. The trouble with focusing on not being unwell is that you are still focusing on un-wellness, not wellness. The focus is on lack and limitation and not on abundance and potentiality.
Most people seem to know what they do NOT want. Focus your attention and intentions on those ideals that you want, desire, long for, lust after. Make that focus clear and distinct.
You get the picture you have focused on. “Prosperity is the abundance of all things held ideal in mind and dear in heart.” How clear and exact are your ideals? How much desire, longing, and passion are attached to them? How focused is the image in your mind? How focused is your desire to have that ideal be out-pictured in your life? The complex thing about life is that it is wonderfully full of distractions. Here you are, focused on some purpose or goal, and then this incredibly intrusive thing occurs.
Perhaps, you are in medical school, totally focused on becoming a doctor. Then this great guy shows up, beds you and before you know it, you are at home practicing motherhood instead of medicine and taking your child to the pediatrician you could have been had you not allowed yourself to be distracted, to lose focus. Or perhaps, you are busy going about the business of creating a business and some seemingly major obstacle presents itself, so you change your mind, change your plan, change your focus to the next great business idea and the next one after that. Life is full of distractions making it easy to lose focus. Winners stay focused. Sometimes they are so focused that you cannot even get their attention.