How does Finding Good in Bad Things Make Life Better?
Even when things look really bleak, we can still find good in them.
We are living in interesting times, in many ways like the Chinese curse. There are a lot of people who seem hell-bent on messing with social order, let alone taking away good things for people in the name of politics and money.
Yes, this is mostly a pretty terrible thing. And yet, there has been good to have come of it. People are taking more notice, taking more action, and striving to have their voices heard. We are seeing effort participating in the dialogue, and maybe from there we will see positive change of it.
Here’s the thing to keep in mind. If we focus on the bad, and we focus on anger, and the things that are negative out there, we will draw more of them to us. That’s the way conscious reality creation works. What you focus on, think about, feel about, and act on – you bring out more of.
It’s far too easy to get caught up in this madness. What terrible thing did the President say or Tweet today? How much further will Congress erode our democracy? What is North Korea up to? If we give this our attention, we energize it, and that will only amplify it, and draw more of it to us.
I know I don’t want that. I can’t imagine anyone who does.
While it’s hard enough to not let national and international matters steal our attention, what do we do when we have more personal negativity to contend with? What can we do to find good things in problems we are encountering on a more direct level?
Is there good to be found?
There is always something good to be found in bad things. Flat tire on the way home from work? Maybe that kept you from being part of a far worse accident. Lost your job? Perhaps it was not a great job for you, and now you can get something better. Family member dying from cancer? When they pass, they will no longer be suffering.
Jen Sincero, in You Are A Badass (I CANNOT recommend this book enough), writes about the notion of exploring unexpected and unwanted situations by stating, “This is good because” and taking it from there. Certainly there will be times this is more of a struggle than other times, but that does not lessen its power to change how you are thinking and feeling.
I am in no way advocating for denial of bad feelings. We are only human, we are going to have experiences that make us feel bad, and that we would rather not endure. Everybody gets broken up with, loses a job, fails a test, gets injured, loses family and friends due to anything from disagreements to death. We are going to have miserable experiences. Full stop. However, when this happens – if we dwell on them, keep our focus on them and let them dictate further emotions, we are more likely to gain more bad feelings similar to them.
Another issue with modern society is our tendency to not bother with accountability. We love to blame, we love to pass the buck, we love to make excuses rather than take responsibility. You hurt me and you made me feel this way and you make me so angry are all-too-common statements. Without a doubt, other people can be the catalyst for our feelings, but only we can feel them for ourselves.
Focus on that which you can control.
I cannot do anything about what our government is doing, except to write letters, make phone calls, and vote in elections. I can spread awareness about injustices, but if I am wholly focused on that negativity, I will only get angrier, frustrated, and draw more ways to feel angry, frustrated and negative overall.
The challenge is to be active, do something productive and constructive, but keep focus on that which you can directly effect. I can share my own thoughts, try to persuade you to my way of thinking, but I cannot control how you will feel. Period, end of story. You, and you alone, feel what you feel, and the same applies to me.
That being written, it’s important to tighten our focus, and take an approach to work with the things we do have control over. Our individual corners of the universe may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but they are the only aspects of life we have total control over.
Pathwalking is about finding and traversing our own ways in life. This is not the simplest idea, and there are challenges and obstacles and curves along the way. Yet rather than letting life happen around us, we are choosing to take charge, and be aware of those things we can control.
We have no control over anyone else’s life choices. This is why it’s important to be more aware of our own lives, our own existence, and to focus on working with what we have to make the best of the lives we are living.
This is Good Because…
…we get to choose. This is Good Because we can find almost any path we desire, and take the journey of our life upon it. Consciousness Creates Reality. I want to manifest the most joyful, amazing, fulfilling life I can. I am not a slave to anyone else, I am not beholden to anyone but me when it comes to my feelings.
Yes, it is important to be aware of what’s going on out there. We need to be aware of this world to participate in it. But there is a line between being aware and being overwhelmed, and it is so, so easy to cross that line.
Be the best you that you can be. Walk the path that makes you feel the most good, the most happy, the most accomplished that you can. When you experience unpleasant, unwanted and negative things in life, choose to process them and let them go; or hold onto them and let them dominate your life, and draw more similar negatives to you.
We are far more powerful than many would want us to be believe. We are all creators, and we are all capable of manifesting incredible things. Try to keep that in mind the next time you despair.
What good can you find in bad things you are experiencing?
This is the two-hundred ninety-first entry in my series. These weekly posts are ideas for and my personal experiences with walking along the path of life. I share this journey as part of my desire to make a difference in this world along the way.
Thank you for joining me. Feel free to re-blog and share.
The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.
If you enjoy Pathwalking, you may also want to read my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.
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