“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~Socrates

How often do we spend our time railing against what we don’t like in some arena of life? We think we’re going to change someone else, or something else by stacking up evidence as to why we think it, or they, are wrong or bad. I’m quite certain we’ve all done this…and many are doing it right now, especially in light of this being a presidential election year.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to get political on you. Not my thing. But I am all about energy and how we use it.

I have witnessed how emotional, frustrated, angry and downright ugly people get when talking about the candidate they don’t want in office. But the fact that you’re talking about what you don’t want is focusing attention on what you don’t want, and where attention goes, energy flows.  You are actually giving energy to what you don’t want!

Which is why Socrates was such as smart ass and he was born almost 2,500 years ago. And we think we know it all.

True change happens when you and I give all of our energy to what we truly want.

I was talking with a friend about this at lunch. She was focused on something she vehemently doesn’t want when I suggested she place her energy on uplifting what she does want. It was a true lightbulb moment for her. One I am delighted to have turned on the switch for.

This is one reason I recommend that we pay attention to what frustrates, irritates, or angers us. There is both medicine and magic in these feelings…although we like to blame them on others or dismiss them all together because they’re uncomfortable. But they are how our body communicates with us, and the body is the unconscious mind. It is our inner wise self speaking to us.

The medicine: is the feeling itself. It is a messenger asking you to pay attention. To notice the discomfort, sit with it, and let it show you what you truly desire. It may not be what you think at all.

The magic: as you let go of resistance to what is, you can begin to see your way to new ideas and opportunities focused on the true desire.

It’s easy to get caught up in expressing frustrations and dislikes, but true transformation comes from direction energy towards what we desire. Socrates, and his ancient wisdom, understood the power of where we place our attention.

So let’s take a moment today to reflect on where we focus our attention and energy. These, along with our time, make up the currency of our lives. The stuff we buy our life’s experiences with. If we truly want to create something new, then we need to invest that currency in the creation of it.

By acknowledging and understanding our emotions, we can pave the way for personal growth and positive change.

With love