Paying Attention To What
We Pay Attention To

In all my years of research and efforts, the hardest part of my subscribing to The Fun Factor is paying attention to what I pay attention to.

What we pay attention to is circular, and sort of confusing. We behave based upon what we pay attention to. And, we pay attention to things based upon who we are and how we behave. How we behave is very much a function to which we were introduced as infants and young children, and during the "plasticity" phases of our impressionable years. We had very little control over what was introduced to us, as it was essentially forced into our perspectives, right or wrong. Eventually, once that foundation of perception is created, we build upon it. While it might be easy to blame past architects for our behavior, if you're reading or listening to this, you already know you have the power to build or rebuild. You know the importance of paying greater attention to what you pay attention to. It's this realization that has truly transformed pretty much everything about me. And I think it'll begin to positively transform you as well.

Let me tell you a personal story. One which will substantiate how the world forces certain things onto us and we are left to deal with them. When I was 20 my best friend of 16 years was killed in an auto accident. I was destroyed as was pretty much the entire neighborhood. This kid was very well liked, very popular, and going places in his life. My answer to dealing with the situation was to move away. I felt by doing so I could escape the hurt and the loss. Over 40 years later I still carry it. The shape of the pain and the loss has changed, but its weight has not. I have since learned that sometimes great loss requires the creation of a counterbalance of positivity to offset that loss. In an odd way, The Fun Factor is a result of the great loss I felt when he passed. Perhaps Your Fun Factor sits as a counterbalance as well?

Yes, paying attention to what we pay attention to might require rebuilding of our foundations or counterbalances. Very rarely, I have found the foundations of our joy and happiness are solid from the onset. There is always some sort of emotional reformatting necessary to create a natural wellspring of joy and positivity. Therefore, paying attention to what you pay attention to usually requires that you pay attention to yourself first. (Put your own oxygen mask on first?) And this is tough, because it often requires an uncomfortable amount of ego-killing objectivity. It's an open-minded and honest assessment of what you are paying attention to and whether that attention is healthy or whether it needs some tweaking.

Only you can assess this situation. When I realized I needed some tweaking myself, I felt 50% of the effort was now behind me. Sometimes just knowing the source of the challenge helps make the entire situation ... less challenging.

Today, NOW, we reserve the right -- and it is 100% our responsibility -- to choose to accept or deny that which we use as building blocks for our behavior. It is a constant and ongoing flow of choices. You'll find yourself in environments where positivity will naturally flow inward while negativity is no longer even in your perspective. What follows is greater clarity and room on our thoughts for more of that which life is truly about. Happiness, joy and positivity.