(2) Focus

Believe it or not , there is a research based , scientifically proven "Happiness Wonder Drug" that everybody can take to make their lives better. That's the good news. Bad news though , is that I can't give it to you right away. I am a 90s kid , and unsurprisingly a huge fan of Karate Kid.

Remember the "wax on , wax off" scene of Karate Kid , where Mr.Miyagi made Daniel do all the mundane cleaning work , but in reality he was conditioning Daniel to the fundamentals of Karate? Now I am clearly not as wise as Mr.Miyagi , but with this blog , we are going to take a similar approach.

Over the coming weeks , I will be posting a new post every week , and it is my sincere hope that you'll do your version of "wax on , wax off" , as an effort to internalize all the information that you're going to be exposed to. It'll do you no good if I start this off by handing you the happiness drug. You have no idea how to consume them , or most importantly WHY to consume them. I can build the road of happiness for you , but ultimately it is up to you to walk it.

On our journey you will come across many things that you've already known , but conveniently ignore or forget them. Similar themes will come up time and time again to strengthen your faith. To quote Mr. Tal Ben-Shahar , the course is more of a reminder , than a lesson. It is also equally important to know that not everything we discuss will make sense or work for you. For example , meditation is proven to raise our level of well-being by actually changing our brain , but if you are an absolute adrenaline junkie , then perhaps meditation isn't going to be part of your routine anytime soon. Pick those that work for you.

Now , a quick pop quiz.

How many geometric shapes do you see in the picture? Count them carefully.

Got your answer? Better double check them.

Got it? Great.

Don't scroll back up.

Now let me ask you these.

How many kids are there in the bus? What is the word on the octagon?

What is the colour of the ribbon on the square?

What time is it , on the round clock?

If you don't have a photographic memory , chances are your reaction right now is "Bus? What bus? What kid ?What clock?". You're too caught up in the moment of counting shapes , where you ignore the children , the clock , the football , the gift and the house. The ability to focus is a incredible gift to human , as it allow us to block out noises and create our own reality. Just as how we create a reality of the picture without kids , bus or clock.

If we focus on the wrong things in life , we inevitably create a negative reality for ourselves.

This is largely what happen in the field of psychology. For every 1 research article on positive psychology , there are 21 negative studies focusing on anger , depression , anxiety etc. It is equally , if not important to study what is working for us , instead of focusing on all the problem that we have.

The word "appreciate" has two different meanings. One is to be grateful , and another one is the rise in value. When it comes to our virtue , we have to be grateful for them , in order to have more of them.

Putting in simply , "When you appreciate the good , the good appreciates."

I have no idea if this story is true , but apparently when Michelangelo was asked how he created David ( arguably his most well-known sculpture ) , he said when he came across this huge piece of marble , he saw David in it , and all he had to do is chip away the excess stone.

All we have to learn is to be our own Michelangelo , and chip away our own excess stone to discover our inner David.

#focus #perception #reality