Your dose for today…
“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.” —E. Joseph Cossman
If you're focused on the right thing, the route will feel glassy and clear. (Image: Amy Spencer)
What a cool quote, I love this! I picture looking at a soccer goal while kicking the ball along, that if all you’re seeing is where you want to place the ball in the net, you won’t notice the line of defenders rushing at you from all angles, you won’t notice the flash of a goalie with his arms outstretched, and maybe you won’t notice that I’ve never played more than six minutes of soccer in my life and that it would be a miracle if I kicked the ball and it went forward, never mind into the goal. But you know what I mean.
If you’re thinking about love today or your happy future, train your eyes past the stuff that stands between you and what you want. If you change your focus and aim it on what you want, the big pains in the butt of life will turn into blurs in the foreground. It’s like I say in Meeting Your Half-Orange: It’s not your job to know how to get what you want, it’s your job to want it. So forget about the obstacles you might hit in the next week—the bad dates, the so-so matches, the new people that may come between you and meeting the love of your life. Stay focused on the goal and they won’t seem so daunting anymore. Here’s the best idea: Just imagine the moment when you find your match and the announcer in your head hops up and yells “Gooooooooooaaaaaallllllll.”
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I SO needed this post today. I’ve been able to keep amazingly optimistic over the last 6, and today I am struggling. I’ve been getting all those great “signs” lately that I’m getting so much closer. And then, I get invited to a social event where nothing happens (yesterday) and I think, when is it EVER going to happen?? How many signs do I need? How many events do I have to attend? I’m tired of the journey, I just now want to reach the finish line. I still scan the crowds when I’m out socially not because I’m desperate, but because I genuinely WANT to meet the guy that will change my world. Just “relaxing” out with friends is starting to feel old. GET ME TO THE GOAL/FINISH LINE PLEASE!!!!!! How do you keep on keeping on when you’re sick of the in between journey?
Sorry I meant to say, “the last 6 months”. How long is this optimism thing supposed to take anyway?! It seems like everyone in the book found love within a few months after implementing it.
My favorite takeaway was actually a bit of advice from the Texan in India, and it really made me think about your book and training your brain. He told her that you can choose your thoughts, every single day, just in the same way that you’d choose an outfit. That really resonated with me and was further encouragement to make that internal decision to truly think and become optimistic.
This also tied into my second favorite takeaway: when you have negative thoughts creep into your mind, like about someone in your past, let go of all the negative energy and instead just mentally send a bit of love and light toward them — then move on. In my search for my half orange, I’ve often become hung up on guys from my past and held onto sadness that really isn’t even mine to own anymore, but yet I occasionally choose to “marinate” in. But I can instead choose to think of them, smile to myself, wish them well, and move on with my own life.
Thanks for all the optimistic encouragement! You helped plant the optimistic seed in my mind
Oh, and sorry — somehow I managed to leave my comment on the wrong entry! That was meant for the Eat Pray Love post.