Where do you place your primary attention? Let’s adjust our perception to activate joy and influence.  What do you most focus on?  Finding faults, flaws, and fallacies?  Or seeing the best qualities of experiences and people?

Because they’re both there. Pros and cons co-exist. To fixate upon the negative is to downplay or ignore what is working or admirable. As a result, you may miss what’s right or beautiful. You diminish what’s important by activating what you want less of.

Activation works when you see it, then say it. Your eyes, or lens of observation, then confirmed and empowered by your words. This has likely been a default process for you, programmed by others’ observations. But you can reclaim control of this powerful ability.

Train your mind to perceive and admire what is right, working, or beautiful. Then acknowledge those aspects by naming them. Encourage admirable behaviors to promote more of them.

Of course, handle legitimate and immediate threats. But strive to see the negative more peripherally. Don’t reward bad behavior or incompetence with your primary attention. Criticism rarely helps. And fighting against a position often escalates both sides of the battle.

By acknowledging more of what’s working you activate excellence around you, and suddenly, you’ll see examples everywhere. Think of how this shift transforms your relationships and life experience.

Today’s assignment: Capture three specific examples of something or someone you find exceptional. Then, elevate them by acknowledgement or encouragement. That’s it! It won’t take long to see profound changes unfold as you shift from constant critic to connoisseur of what’s good and beautiful. Until next week, stay Off Balance On Purpose.