My man Michael Neill says: Think of a problem. Now ask yourself, would this problem still exist if I stopped thinking about it? 
(I have such a huge mind crush on this guy it’s not even funny.)
Go ahead, try it.
Real problems remain, even when you stop thinking about them. In fact, real problems often grow when you try to put them out of your mind.
Problems of the ego mind–based in fear–require your focus in order to survive. These are not real problems, they are figments of your imagination.
So when you look away, they go away. When you stop thinking about them, they usually begin to disappear.
I know, I wasn’t convinced at first either. So I suspended my disbelief and tried it:
Problem = I need a root canal.
Wait…stop thinking about it….shift my focus to something else….the problem is still there. And it’s getting worse by the minute. It must be a real problem that shouldn’t be ignored.
Problem = My friend is annoying the hell out of me with her negativity and complaining.
Wait…stop thinking about it….shift my focus to something else …gone. It wasn’t a real problem that required my attention.
Problem = A woman is raped every minute in The Congo.
Wait…stop thinking about it….shift my focus to something else….the problem is still there. And it’s getting worse by the minute. It must be a real problem that shouldn’t be ignored.
Problem = I’m bored.
Wait…stop thinking about it….shift my focus to something else …gone. Something pops up to take its place and I forget about my boredom, so it wasn’t a real problem.
I could have made this into an existential crisis but instead I waited. Turns out, the crisis would’ve been for nothing.
Refocusing energy! Love this concept…which is now becoming an experience for me. IT WORKS!! When I refocus my energy to something else, something positive, I am able to see a perceived problem as just an illusion of the mind vs a “real” problem that needs to be worked on. Thanks, Amy!
Glad you’re working it, so it’s working for you T!
I love that you used boredom as an example. I struggle with being bored and it does grow in proportion to the amount of time I spend obsessing that I’m bored. Now I’ll just ignore it!
Ah, me too! Try ignoring and see what happens. If the boredom is a true inner nagging to change things it will get louder the more you ignore it. But most of the time it will fall away when we stop paying so much attention. Thanks for your comment!
I should have guessed you were a Michael Neill fan — I get a similar feeling (relief, calm, understanding, acceptance, peace) when I read both of your blogs. I love how you both think AND convey your thoughts 🙂
Aw, thanks Lynn! Listening to Micheal Neill’s radio show is what made me POSITIVE I was meant to be a coach 🙂