One of the key principles of the Law of Attraction is to stay focused on positive feelings regardless of outer circumstances. If you are faced with circumstances that are angering or frightening you, it is said, withdraw your attention from what is and focus on good feeling thoughts. I don’t know about you but staying focused on anything is about as easy for me as it is for a cat in bird sanctuary, never mind swapping negative thoughts for positive ones. And it really takes a nose dive when I’m fired up. I discovered something, though, that worked for me and it might work for you too.
When I finally took my writing career seriously, I searched for a book to help me hone my skills and came across a gem called Bird by Bird, Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. Not only is it chock full of excellent advice for a writer at any stage of the game, it’s laced with wisdom and humorous insight about the business of daily living. In one chapter Lamott advises writers to think of a scene in one-inch squares, drawing their readers into such fine detail they can feel and smell and hear the character’s every move. It was stellar instruction at the time but not too long ago, it returned as a lightening bolt of inspiration when I couldn’t get out of my own way.
I was in a very comfortable place in my life. Though I received some income from free lance writing gigs, I needed a back up plan so I took a job as a sales counselor with a new-home builder. I loved the job so much I was beginning to think I should chuck the whole writing thing and become a real estate super star. The community I worked in was buzzing with growth and my sales were ticking up. Out of the blue, a new manager plucked me from this thriving community and transferred me to one where the activity had stalled. I was so angry I wanted to quit but good advice and good sense prevailed.
For days I stewed, looking out of the window of my new sales office and resenting everything I laid my eyes on. Nothing I had learned about the importance of good feeling thoughts was kicking in and I looped around and around about the injustice of it all. Focus on the positive aspects, I kept telling myself, and though I could do it for a little while, at the end of the day I was right back where I started. Negative thoughts are energy thieves and I was nearing exhaustion.
One afternoon, a strange looking bird perched on a bush outside my window. I stared at her and she stared right back, then bounced up to the windowsill and stayed long enough for me to have an AHA moment…bird by bird…one-inch squares. What if I just tried focusing on what it feels like to release resistance. That’s all, just release resistance. Immediately I felt the tension subside. For the rest of the day, every time I had a negative thought - I got a rotten deal…this fool is taking too long at the check out…she took my parking space – I batted it right out of the park like hall of famer. It didn’t take long at all for things to change and by now you might be guessing the end of the story. Sales started buzzing once again.
The value of thinking in one-inch squares is twofold; a single good feeling thought is more manageable and easy to focus on than trying to digest an entire philosophy and second, you literally inch into a new perspective. Start small and you can have big results.
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