Preoccupied?
“Your preoccupation should be on doing what you do as well as you can.” —Jay Leno
One night I was tossing and turning, as I often do when trying to fall asleep. Sammy, who was nine at the time, had been sitting in a bean bag in my room reading a book. She must have noticed because she said, “What are you doing, Momma?”
“Trying to sleep. I often have a hard time falling asleep though, my mind just keeps spinning.”
“Well, just turn it off,” Sammy stated simply.
“How do I do that?”
“You just do,” she said matter-of-factly. “You think about nothing. If you believe that you can think about nothing and turn your mind off, then you can. That’s what I do.”
I think she could tell that I wasn’t convinced. “Come on, try it,” she said. “Is your mind clear now?”
I paused for a moment. “Yes, it’s clear Sammy.”
“Okay so don’t think about anything.”
A moment later: “Are you thinking about anything?”
“I am thinking that I am thinking nothing.”
Sammy laughed. “Okay, try this. Imagine a night sky with beautiful stars. Just look up at the stars in your mind and get lost in them.” I did as she instructed, keeping my focus on the stars and their patterns.
“Are you thinking anything now, Momma?”
Well, actually, she had to tell me after I woke up that she had asked that question—I had already fallen asleep.
That night Sammy reminded me how what we set our mind to is often what we create in our lives. I had convinced myself I would toss and turn and Sammy changed my focus.
Your Turn: Where are you tossing and turning in your own life because you have set your mind to “I can’t?” Today, choose one area that is being penalized by an “I can’t” attitude and change your view to “I CAN!”
Today’s Affirmation: I can accomplish anything I set my mind to doing.
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