What We Focus on Expands

I have always believed that our attention shapes our reality. Whatever we choose to focus on has a way of growing larger and taking up more space in our lives. That simple idea is captured in the phrase "what we focus on expands".

If we focus on problems, they seem to multiply. Every flaw, every disappointment, every worry begins to loom larger. But if we turn our attention toward progress, gratitude, and possibility, those things begin to expand instead. It is not magic. It is mindset. Our thoughts guide our energy, our words guide our actions, and soon our actions shape our results.

A good friend of mine, a gifted psychotherapist, built his entire practice around this principle. He believed that what we focus on becomes our chosen reality. He worked with Olympic athletes, helping them create a vision of success that began long before competition day. Practice was a critical ingredient, but even more important was the visualization of success. He taught them to picture every movement, every emotion, every sound of the crowd until that vision became their lived experience. In time, the image of victory they carried in their minds became the reality they created on the field or in the pool.

In business I see this all the time. A startup team that obsesses over fear of failure tends to stall. A team that focuses on learning, on customers, and on getting better each day begins to grow. What they focus on expands. The same holds true for people. When you focus on your strengths, you notice more opportunities to use them. When you focus on your relationships, they deepen. When you focus on growth, you grow.

Focus is a choice. We cannot control everything that happens to us, but we can control where we place our attention. Each day we decide what to nurture and what to let go. If you want more creativity, focus on creating. If you want more kindness, focus on being kind. If you want more success, focus on doing the work that leads there.

So take a quiet moment and ask yourself, What am I focusing on today? Because whatever it is, it will expand.

What we focus on expands.

John Bradley Jackson
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P.S. A very personal example from my life involves the decision my wife and I made to adopt a third child. For about a year, we envisioned adding a third child to our family. We prepared by reading and learning about what it means to adopt a child and welcome them to an existing family. In my case, I dreamed about my future child. Repeatedly. Ultimately, we adopted a five year old girl from Ukraine. That dream became reality.