Compliments of tidefan via Flickr

In her book “Loving what is: Four questions that can change your life,” Katie suggests our perceived trouble can be reduced to a “thinking” problem. In other words, how we frame life events is the determinant of our happiness. What if the driving force for mental peace was us, as opposed to an outside person or event? The joystick of our lives would then be inside our own heads – and we would be independent of what happened around us. Have you known people who were content no matter what their circumstance? What was their secret?

I imagine it was a large dose of faith – faith in the right order of things, faith in things to come, and faith in the vision they had for their lives. Personal vision acts as a magnet, both pulling us toward our destiny (and attracting those things that we need). Concentration on what can be, rather than what’s been shoved in our face, is the transformative elixir which propels us to the next level. Such a focus forces us to be single minded – and to selectively dispel from our heads anything that is incongruent with our “best reflected self.”

Such a priority mandates that we be selfish with our thoughts and exclusive with those we entertain. I’ve found the “turnaround” process in The Work (Katie, 2002) to be an exceptionally helpful tool.

E.g.: for a negative sentiment you’ve been harboring, rephrase it as the opposite meaning (and see if that “reworked” phrase is then as true). Katie challenges us to envision who we could be absent outdated notions, and to become that person. Many times we abdicate responsibility by foisting our problems onto other people, when it is we who need to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, forge ahead, and proactively change.

What projects have you postponed because you’re (1) too busy focusing on what isn’t; (2) crying over spilt milk; or (3) fretting about the unfairness of your predicament? Using your energy as “rocket fuel” to launch yourself to new levels would be a wiser (and more productive) course of action. You may not be able to change what is, but you most certainly have the ability to redirect your future. Recalibrate your navigational system through a purge of inefficient thought.