A few years back, my parents were tested by life itself. They were on a road trip to see my sister when a tire on the car blew out at some 70-odd mph on the interstate! The car goes out of control and into the lanes of on coming traffic. Fortunately, both my parents rose to the occasion.My mother, seeing the situation did very well accept the fact that this could be the end of her life. Though this was a passing thought, she did not give it any extra energy. At the same time she repeated a prayer that put her in the state of mind to actually help shift the chain of events in her favor. She believed that she could get through this and she put her energy toward it.
My father, who was at the wheel, told me he stayed in the moment. He remembered some advice for this situation he learned in a defensive driving course that far transcends driving a car alone. "Whenever you loose control of the vehicle, always look where you want to go." This is exactly what he did! He didn't put his focus on the impending oncoming traffic. He put all of his energy into where he wanted the vehicle to go. He focused on his goal despite any distractions.
The combined focus of both of my parents brought them out of this near fatal incident without a scratch and only having to replace a blown tire on the car! Whoa! What a testimony to the power of your focus and the ability for people to create their realities. Accepting and adapting to what is brings forth greater influence over any outcomes in life.
"Always look where you want to go," is timeless wisdom that applies in every faucet of life. Because, "what you focus on expands," and "what you resist persists," we can easily see how it is our very attention that allows events to unfold as they do.
Whatever the majority of our thought and emotion are moving toward is what will manifest. This is true even when we give most of our thought and emotion to what we don't want. People often do this all the time because they do not yet know "what you focus on expands," and "what you resist persists." As a result they get what they dreaded the most.
Take some time out for yourself. Examine your thoughts and what pushes the buttons on strong emotions with in you. Where are you focused? What are you attracting?
Where're you looking?
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5 comments:
"what you focus on expands" and "what you resist persists". That is some advice alright! Thanks for the great post, C. Om., :)
I learned the trick on a mountain bike and all over again on a snowboard - if you look at a tree, rock, hole, you will end up there, so look at the gaps and the moves will occur to get you where you want.
I'd never thought to apply this to general living, but of course now you raise it, it makes perfect sense too.
Another great Post C.Om,
Yes, absolutely true . . I first learned this principle through sport; soccer, table tennis, tennis etc.
Also, I had always been 'into' music, and as I got older I noticed that my focus on certain songs began to manifest in my life. I realized that music can 'get into me'. For example a repetitive song lyric becomes a circling thought line within the sub-conscious mind, and consciousness naturally reflects off whatever is most dominant, and then begins to manifest . . .
I soon began to realize that 'self-talk' was amazingly powerful (because the real power, consciousness, reflects off it); but just as you said in your post C. Om, this works both ways. I discovered that what I focused my attention on, be it positive or negative, began to unfold.
Sometimes I observed in horror at the unfolding of events and circumstances that I was responsible for creating in my life through my 'attention' being focused on what I did NOT want to happen, but my very negativity was attracting it to me!
The 'good news' is that one can move beyond all pairs of opposites and into equilibrium. I have discovered that when I am simply being in the moment, thought, be it positive or negative, no longer has a hold over me. Why? Because in the natural state of being there is no attachment to thought . . thought simply 'is' or is not there . . but it isn't my thought, it is just thought, and I can let it go.
I, the individual reading this, am the director of my attention and focus. I am therefore responsible for the events and circumstances unfolding as this life . . .
Ah, beautiful :)
My wife & I were in a serious car crash about 20 years ago. She sustained a broken leg, but I walked away with hardly a scratch -- I was wearing my seat belt, she wasn't.
People have asked me if I ever have nightmares about the crash. I tell them I have had not a one. It didn't seem scary to me because, as the driver, I was focused on trying to avert the crash. We did strike a culvert, but the crash wasn't half as bad as it could have been because I stayed focused on the task at hand.
I've often thought that airline pilots in planes that have suffered horrendous crashes probably never succumb to fear because, even until the last second, they are focusing on trying to save the plane and its passengers.
*Rizal
Thanks! Appreciate ya!
*Ta-Wan
Your illustration is perfect too. Thanks for the insight!
*Doug
You're right on!
*Rambling Taoist
I definitely agree with you there! Suffering is indeed a state of mind and the pilots focus did not allow for it.
Appreciate your input and insight!
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