Where are you putting your attention?

I recall reading a story about a man who lived in a perfect city. Everywhere he went he saw smiling faces and buildings crafted by hand by the worlds best artisans. Everything was beautiful and in appreciating that beauty, he felt happy and content.

One day the man went for a walk to enjoy the sunshine and the smiling faces. As he turned down a street he had walked down many times, his attention was drawn to a pothole. Goodness, he thought, a pothole? The city fathers have allowed a pothole to ruin the perfection of my walk? Goodness!

And on his way home all he could think about was the pothole. How did this happen and he went through scenario after scenario trying to figure it out. And the more he thought about that single pothole the unhappier he became.

Every day he’d go out for his walk, but wouldn’t you know it, he always ended up on the street with the pothole. He just couldn’t take his eyes off it. It drew him like a magnet and all of his thoughts were centered on that pothole even though the rest of the city was still perfectly beautiful and still filled with happy smiling faces.

He could no longer see the smiling faces or nor could he enjoy the beauty that surrounded him. All he could think about was that single ugly pothole.

Where is your focus? Are all of your thoughts centered on the pothole or can you lift your eyes to see the beauty that surrounds you? There will always be potholes. Life is filled with potholes, but must our gaze always be drawn to them alone?

Lift up your eyes and see the beauty that surrounds you. Make it your daily task to appreciate just one thing and your gaze will be lifted from the pothole. You’ll know it’s still there, but it’s much more interesting and satisfying to watch the things that give you pleasure. Before long, the potholes of the world will seem to disappear leaving you enraptured by the beauty you see all around you.

It’s all a matter of where you choose to put your attention.

Regards,

Grant