Personal Growth

A reflective writing space focused on personal growth, authenticity, and mindful living. Through honest storytelling and lived experience, the platform offers thoughtful insights that encourage deeper self-awareness, emotional clarity, and purposeful change. VIsit Our SIte -: https://becomingthejourney.com/

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What We Resist Persists: Meaning, Quote & How to Let Go for Personal Growth

What Does “What We Resist Persists” Mean?

The phrase “what we resist persists” means that the more we fight, suppress, or avoid something—whether thoughts, emotions, or situations—the more power it gains in our lives.

Often attributed to Carl Jung, this idea suggests that true transformation begins not with resistance, but with awareness and acceptance.

What We Resist Persists: A Personal Awakening

What We Resist Persists:  I remember the first time I heard this quote. It was a huge wake up for me.  It was early on my journey of personal growth, at workshop in Europe decades ago, and I still feel the punch it had for me.  I was deep into resisting the way I had taken on patterns of my mom’s (criticizing and judging, myself and others).  I saw and knew no other way to be, at that point. Carl Jung actually says, “What you resist, not only persits, it will grow in size.”  I was resisting big time, and I see now how that not only persisted, for years, even decades, but did indeed grow.  Oh my, I feel weighed down even recalling all of this.

How Early Conditioning Shapes Resistance

A little background may help.  Resistance had been an ongoing feature of my life from my earliest years.  It fit in perfectly with the other patterns and habits in my family: black and white thinking, judging, making comparisons to see if I was good enough…  My mom believed we needed to effort, compare, try to be better… that was the way to a happy and successful life!

Why Letting Go Feels So Hard

I bought into this world view for some time.  So it was hard to learn and accept that these patterns really hamper our personal growth, they lock us in to the old, and hinder our developing a growth mindset.  Letting go felt so scary, like giving up, giving in, like being afloat without a life raft.

The Physical Effects of Resistance on Mind and Body

And in fact the very opposite is true.  I remember (if I’m honest, I still know), how resistance feels in my body.  Tight in the chest, like I’m fighting something; it’s a combination of defensiveness and aggressiveness, and it’s seriously uncomfortable.  When I can release resistance, it’s like there’s a flow again,  Movement, more ease.  My body relaxed, inside and out.

Acceptance Creates Space for Growth

When I can come to accept myself, it’s often the case that it begins to ripple out.  And when I release resisting and andjudging others, what’s happening in the world, then my capacity to notice and accept grows.  When I accept myself, others, and what is, I move into a growth mindset.  I can be part of positive change, for myself and the world.

Releasing Resistance Transforms Everything

What we resist persists.  Releasing resistance, practicing acceptance, is truly transformational — at the deepest level.  It may seem scary at first, but it’s actually freeing, like we are floating gracefully down the stream of life.  I’d love to hear your experience with resistance and release.  We’re in this together!What does “what you resist persists” mean?

It means that resisting emotions, thoughts, or situations gives them more power, causing them to stay or grow stronger over time.Is “what we resist persists” a Carl Jung quote?

It is commonly attributed to Carl Jung, though variations of the quote exist. The core idea aligns with Jungian psychology.How do you stop resisting and start accepting?

You can begin by observing your thoughts without judgment, practicing mindfulness, and allowing experiences instead of fighting them.Why is acceptance important for personal growth?

Acceptance reduces inner conflict, increases awareness, and creates space for transformation and growth.

It means that resisting emotions, thoughts, or situations gives them more power, causing them to stay or grow stronger over time.

It is commonly attributed to Carl Jung, though variations of the quote exist. The core idea aligns with Jungian psychology.

You can begin by observing your thoughts without judgment, practicing mindfulness, and allowing experiences instead of fighting them.

Acceptance reduces inner conflict, increases awareness, and creates space for transformation and growth.

Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity.  BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth.  Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume.  Your feedback, forwards, shares, likes are most welcome.

Click Here :- what you resist persists

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Acceptance and Surrender Do Not Mean Giving Up

Acceptance and Surrender: Do They Mean Giving Up?

Acceptance and surrender do not mean giving up…Or? This is a big one, and tricky… at least for me.  A bit of background to start.  Acceptance has featured really large for me on my journey, for most of my life.  Or I should actually say that lack of acceptance:  resistance, wanting things to be different (my body, my partner, the world!) have been my MO for as long as I can remember.  

Learning the Value of Acceptance

As I reflect, I find that across the decades, increasingly in recent years, months, now almost daily… the importance and value of dropping into acceptance keeps coming across my path.  It is finally landing, starting to sink in.  Acceptance, not resisting what is, can become actually be a way of living life, a way of dealing with the challenges, a way of handling the inevitable vicissitudes.  But it sure ain’t easy.  Old habits run deep.  

Awareness: The First Step Toward Change

Change starts with awareness, then creating a gap between the old patterns and the spaciousness of awareness.  I can take a breath and have some choice about how to respond rather than reacting from old patterns.  Example:  Government says no border crossings, ie no family visits for yet another month.  Old pattern:  Why are they so rigid? This is stupid.  How rotten.  It sucks.  Poor me.  Not much time left.  Acceptance:  What now?  How can we create connections and be with this new reality with openness and curiosity?  Are there unexpected gifts in this situation?  

Acceptance and Surrender — How Are They Different?

But Surrender?  Whole different ballgame…or?  Surrender for me has long had the sense of giving up. The mainstream definition is indeed about quitting, throwing in the towel, capitulating.  But wait, there is more.  In exploring both acceptance and its deeper cousin, surrender, I came across this thoughtful essay, Surrender vs. Acceptance, by Michelle Harris. I found it very helpful, and offer this excerpt for your consideration:   

Exploring Deeper Meanings of Surrender

Acceptance…is therefore a non resistance. It’s the opening of your heart, mind and soul to each experience, with non judgment – including the inner experiences, as well as what you witness in your outer experiences. 

I think of surrender as a true spiritual-soul understanding and experience to really ‘feel’ the true source of your self, your true power, and your true connection to the Divine you. A term that literally means a ‘giving up’ to something,  I see it as an aligning of our personality self to your Higher Self. That our ego aspects (born from fear and resistance), are aligned/evolved/integrated into into our Higher aspects. It takes a process of refining and ‘dropping’ the illusions, patterns, limiting thoughts and energies that keep us locked in fear, (and accepting parts of self too), to truly be in surrender to the truth of who you are.

Surrender to me therefore, is the aligning to our true essence, and we accept parts of ourselves to get to that…

Acceptance Through Personal Experience

So there is some giving up, after all, of resistance, ego games and struggles!  And there is acceptance as well, of all of the ego shenanigans, the struggles, the resistance :-). And the courage and skill not to buy into them, believe them.

Surrender Is the Beginning, Not the End

So how does this fit into my life now?  It’s over two months since my rollerblade splat on concrete, where I not only dislocated my shoulder, but, it has turned out, did quite a bit of damage.  One choice — it could be considered a version of acceptance — would be to accept the limitations as my new normal.   Another choice is to do my best to accept everything gracefully and really lean into the exercises the physiotherapist gives me, celebrating with gratitude what I still can do, how I still can be.  (The importance of mindset, how whoppingly it affects my day-to-day experience, really stands out right about now.)  

Trusting Life’s Unfolding

To wrap up this small personal subset of the acceptance/surrender/giving up issue: as best I can, I am going to surrender my struggles, my beliefs I can determine the outcome, and trust (ah, here’s another big component!) the unfolding of the universe, knowing I can’t push the river.  As best I can, I will accept my situation/the situation/our situation with grace and ease and spaciousness, and engage as feels right and appropriate, doing everything I can to live fully and give my best shot at a good recovery.  

Can We Accept and Surrender in a Challenging World?

Finally, can we, is it appropriate to, surrender and accept what is happening politically, with species in the great coral reefs,  inequality, racism?  Those are bigger questions for another time, but what we’ve covered today definitely applies.  In the meantime I offer you an interview with Tami Simon and Michael Singer, called Living From a Place of Surrender.  

Reflection — What Does Acceptance Mean to You?

I look forward to hearing about your experience about how Acceptance and Surrender do not mean Giving Up.  Or do they?  

Reference Sources :-  https://becomingthejourney.com/blog/do-a-little-bit-of-good/

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Do Your Little Bit of Good: Finding Hope in Small Actions

Desmond Tutu Quote: Do Your Little Bit of Good Where You Are

Do a little Bit of Good.  When I recently came across this inspirational quote from Desmond Tutu about doing good, I found it very fitting, even inspiring, for our current times. Tutu said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” One could even say doing a little bit of good where we are is a way of overcoming challenges, right here, right now.

The Meaning of the ‘Little Bit of Good’ Philosophy

The ‘Do Your Little Bit of Good’ quote by Desmond Tutu suggests that global change starts with small, localized actions. Tutu believed that when individual ‘bits of good’ are combined, they have the power to overwhelm the world and overcome significant challenges. This philosophy encourages focusing on what you can do right now, with what you have, where you are.

From Lughnasadh to Lammas: Finding Hope in the Season of Abundance

The wheel of the year keeps turning, bringing with it all manner of startling events. August 1st, one of the  Cross Quarter days, called Lughnasadh in the Celtic calendar, is just around the corner. Also called Lammas, the 1st of August is considered the beginning of the grain harvest season, and traditionally noted  with various festivals, games, feasts, celebrating the abundance, the colours, the grains, the fruits, the blooming, the ease of plucking and enjoying earth’s bounty… Oh My!

Overcoming Challenges and Global Uncertainty through Positive Action

In addition to celebrating the season, likely you are, as I am, having significant challenges with events in our world. In the last few weeks, though, and as a progressive voter and activist, it is such a relief not to feel paralyzed and viscerally concerned much of the time but energized and encouraged, and I feel like we might be in a better position for overcoming challenges, in our own and the larger world now.

Do a Little Bit of Good: A Theme for These Transformative Times

No doubt we are living in a time of unstoppable change in so many areas. One empowering option is to see this as an amazing time to be alive, to be able to be part of this transition, and to be a force for positive action, the theme for this post is :Do a little bit of good!

I have written about focussing on,  Opening to the Good , and about Good Vibrations, but when I came across Tutu’s version, it really lit up my day and was an encouraging and empowering reminder in the face of challenges.

Beyond Tutu: Inspirational Quotes on Small Acts of Kindness

It’s not a new idea, of course, and here are a few other inspirational quotes I quite like:

• An elder friend said, “When things go wrong, do right. Every right action counts, no matter how small.”

• I love the Hummingbird Story/Parable about what we can do for the earth. “I will be a hummingbird!”

• Theodor Roosevelot/Bill Widener sums up one’s duty in life: “Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.”

How to Put Wisdom into Practice: A Transformational Exercise

In closing, here is an exercise from the ToDo Institute for Japanese Psychology, which helps us put these words into action. It’s a simple yet transformational practice.

“Ask someone you know what you can do for them today. The purpose of this exercise is to make someone’s day a little more manageable or enjoyable or satisfying. Just something small and simple would be great. Maybe you could call a neighbor to see if you can pick something up for them at the food store if you’ll be headed that way. If we all extended ourselves just a tiny bit, we would create an infusion of goodwill in the world today. We could use it, don’t you think? Even if the gestures are minor, the offer itself carries a lot of weight.”

Let this be our theme for this opulent season of abundance: in addition to appreciating our richness and gifts, inner and outer, and and never taking our blessings for granted, let us do a little bit of good where and when we can. (It’s OK to do a lot of good too :-)!)

Lammas blessings, warm greetings, health and well-being,

Jill

Interested in this theme? See also Tara Brach’s book, Trusting the Gold: Why Recognizing Our Human Goodness May Be the Most Radical Act We Can Take. 

Reference Sources :-  https://becomingthejourney.com/blog/do-a-little-bit-of-good/

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What We Resist Persists: Meaning, Quote & How to Let Go for Personal Growth

What Does “What We Resist Persists” Mean?

The phrase “what we resist persists” means that the more we fight, suppress, or avoid something—whether thoughts, emotions, or situations—the more power it gains in our lives.

Often attributed to Carl Jung, this idea suggests that true transformation begins not with resistance, but with awareness and acceptance.

What We Resist Persists: A Personal Awakening

What We Resist Persists:  I remember the first time I heard this quote. It was a huge wake up for me.  It was early on my journey of personal growth, at workshop in Europe decades ago, and I still feel the punch it had for me.  I was deep into resisting the way I had taken on patterns of my mom’s (criticizing and judging, myself and others).  I saw and knew no other way to be, at that point. Carl Jung actually says, “What you resist, not only persits, it will grow in size.”  I was resisting big time, and I see now how that not only persisted, for years, even decades, but did indeed grow.  Oh my, I feel weighed down even recalling all of this.

How Early Conditioning Shapes Resistance

A little background may help.  Resistance had been an ongoing feature of my life from my earliest years.  It fit in perfectly with the other patterns and habits in my family: black and white thinking, judging, making comparisons to see if I was good enough…  My mom believed we needed to effort, compare, try to be better… that was the way to a happy and successful life!

Why Letting Go Feels So Hard

I bought into this world view for some time.  So it was hard to learn and accept that these patterns really hamper our personal growth, they lock us in to the old, and hinder our developing a growth mindset.  Letting go felt so scary, like giving up, giving in, like being afloat without a life raft.

The Physical Effects of Resistance on Mind and Body

And in fact the very opposite is true.  I remember (if I’m honest, I still know), how resistance feels in my body.  Tight in the chest, like I’m fighting something; it’s a combination of defensiveness and aggressiveness, and it’s seriously uncomfortable.  When I can release resistance, it’s like there’s a flow again,  Movement, more ease.  My body relaxed, inside and out

Acceptance Creates Space for Growth

When I can come to accept myself, it’s often the case that it begins to ripple out.  And when I release resisting and andjudging others, what’s happening in the world, then my capacity to notice and accept grows.  When I accept myself, others, and what is, I move into a growth mindset.  I can be part of positive change, for myself and the world.

Releasing Resistance Transforms Everything

What we resist persists.  Releasing resistance, practicing acceptance, is truly transformational — at the deepest level.  It may seem scary at first, but it’s actually freeing, like we are floating gracefully down the stream of life.  I’d love to hear your experience with resistance and release.  We’re in this together!

What does “what you resist persists” mean?

It means that resisting emotions, thoughts, or situations gives them more power, causing them to stay or grow stronger over time.

Is “what we resist persists” a Carl Jung quote?

It is commonly attributed to Carl Jung, though variations of the quote exist. The core idea aligns with Jungian psychology.

How do you stop resisting and start accepting?

You can begin by observing your thoughts without judgment, practicing mindfulness, and allowing experiences instead of fighting them.

Why is acceptance important for personal growth?

Acceptance reduces inner conflict, increases awareness, and creates space for transformation and growth.

It means that resisting emotions, thoughts, or situations gives them more power, causing them to stay or grow stronger over time.

It is commonly attributed to Carl Jung, though variations of the quote exist. The core idea aligns with Jungian psychology.

You can begin by observing your thoughts without judgment, practicing mindfulness, and allowing experiences instead of fighting them.

Acceptance reduces inner conflict, increases awareness, and creates space for transformation and growth.

Here’s a post you might find helpful:

Alignment, Acceptance, and Empowered Change: Eckhart Tolle wrote a book called A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. Here is an excerpt that jumped out at me: “To be in alignment with what is means to be in a relationship of inner nonresistance with what happens. It means not to label it mentally as good or bad, but to let it be.”

Acceptance Changes Everything:  I can, even today, feel the internal shift from that old, familiar habit of resisting and wishing it were different, to simply accepting reality as it is. It is quite splendid to notice how my heart opens, my shoulders relax, my face softens, my breathing slows.  What we resist persists, and acceptance changes everything!

Continue the Journey

If this reflection resonated with you, this is just the beginning.

BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity by Jill Schroder is a deeper exploration of self-awareness, personal growth, and transformation.

Discover insights from real-life reflections

Learn how to release limiting patterns

Grow into a more authentic version of yourself

This is not just a book — it is a guide for your personal journey.

Preview the Chapte

 Buy on Amazon

Reference Sources :- https://becomingthejourney.com/blog/what-we-resist-persists-release-resistance-for-personal-growth/

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Flow and Awareness: Bringing Mindfulness to Everyday Life

The Connection Between Spiritual Practice and Daily Work

What is the connection between a spiritual way, a path, and our activities in the world — our craft, our work? Carla Needleman, potter and author, has written provocatively on this topic in her book, The Work of Craft. Even asking the question leads us to approach our relationship between the spiritual dimensions and our day-to-day activities with a wider perspective.

Discovering Interconnectedness in Everyday Life

Stepping back from the usual grind of our stories and patterns, we can perhaps begin to discover that beneath our habitual activities we can sense connectedness, yes also interconnectedness. The theory of butterfly effect explores the rippling, expanding waves of sensitive dependence, where systems (and we ourselves are a system too), can unfold in a multitude of different ways from any given point, and it’s impossible to predict–precisely because of the intricate interdependencies–where we will go–or, in spiritual terms, how we will unfold.

How Awareness Shapes the Way We Grow

Here’s the kicker: as we understand more about brain plasticity and how the brain works–indeed how Learning Changes our brains–and as modern psychodynamic insights reveal more about how we become the personalities we are — we are led back to the critical role that attention and awareness play in our development– how they actually affect the directions we take and how we unfold.

The Role of Attention in Flow and Creativity

What are we paying attention to as we work and play, as we eat and relax? Are we present, are in touch with being, or are we stuck in stories about ourselves and others? Are we ‘here, now,’ or are our minds and psyches dwelling in the past and/or the future, as Richard Moss, in his seminal work The Mandala of Being suggests? Where is our attention, our awareness as we go about our lives and work? The answer can be part of a tipping point toward being, creativity, ease, richness, and joy.

Practicing Awareness in Daily Activities

I offer up an invitation to reflect on Awareness today… what are we paying attention to, what’s happening in our body, our mind, our belly, as we go about our craft, our leisure, our lives?

If you would like to explore this in your volume of BECOMING, we address these questions and connections in several essays, in particular in Flow,“We can be very involved in any given activity–teaching, reading, balancing a checkbook…and we can be quite focused and alert, but not aware…more or less running on automatic. …Flow has to do with the degree to which we actually bring full awareness to the activity, are embodied, fully present to what we’re doing.” It is then as if we have added an extra dimension to our bodies and to our experience… focused and alert, yet also aware and richly in our being.

“Without knowing quite how it happens, not really being the doer, but nevertheless showing up, paying attention, being present…opening my mind and heart, I am in sync with the flow, I am lived, I am flow.”

Continue the Journey of Awareness

If these reflections on mindfulness, flow, and awareness resonate with you, explore more inspiring essays on Becoming the Journey. The author’s book BECOMING dives deeper into these themes, offering thoughtful insights on living with presence, creativity, and purpose in everyday life. It’s a meaningful resource for readers, personal growth seekers, and study groups interested in exploring the deeper connection between awareness and daily living.

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Flow and Awareness: Mindfulness for Daily Living

In our busy daily routines, it is easy to move through life on autopilot without truly noticing our thoughts, actions, and surroundings. The idea of flow and awareness in daily life encourages us to slow down and bring mindful attention to the present moment. When we become aware of what we are doing—whether working, reading, or simply relaxing—we create space for deeper understanding, creativity, and balance.

Flow is the state where we feel fully engaged and focused on an activity. When awareness and flow work together, our everyday experiences become richer and more meaningful. Instead of being distracted by past worries or future concerns, we begin to live more consciously and intentionally.

This reflective article explores how mindfulness and awareness can influence our daily activities, relationships, and personal growth. By paying attention to where our focus goes, we can transform ordinary routines into moments of presence, learning, and joy, ultimately creating a more balanced and fulfilling life journey.

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Learning to Pause

When Rest Doesn’t Come Naturally

”Learning to pause”, I say, because pausing absolutely does not come naturally to me.  I was abashed to discover years ago, early in my journey of self awareness and discovery, that in my family it wasn’t OK to rest…not acceptable to take a pause.  As long as there was somebody doing something  — the dishes, tidying, any old chore would do — one needed to offer to help, or just simply just get up pitch in.  Sitting on the couch?  Nope!   Don’t even think about it.

The Cost of Constant Doing

So it has happened that resting has not been a natural thing for me.  It resulted in a kind of drivenness. I’ve written before about this, my agitation, ‘never enough’ feelings.  (What’s the Hurry? Slow Down! and Devouring or Savouring? for example.) I’m not proud of this, but it’s good to see and own.  So when I came across Tara Brach’s talk, The  Sacred Pause, I was really touched.  I found both the talk and the meditation valuable.  She says, “When we are lost in the trance of doing, our lives are on automatic, and contracted by sense that something’s wrong or missing.”   Sound familiar? It does to me.

Slowing Down in Theory and Practice

Most everyone knows, in principle, that pausing is good.  Taking a rest, relaxing, breathing, walking, going slowly, is getting a lot of good press these days. Here’s Thich Nhat Hanh on the topic:  Smile, breathe, go slowly.  

Practicing the Pause in Everyday Life

I know all this in principle, and still have challenges in practice.  So I’m moved to share some concrete benefits I am finding from practicing The Sacred Pause.  When I get fired up, wired up, — working at the computer, making a salad even — I still can find myself falling into my deeply grooved patterns…but occasionally now, instead of getting agitated, even frantic, I am able to catch myself and STOP! Yeah! What a relief! I can feel my heart rate lower, can sense and appreciate what’s around me, I relax and smile

But it’s not a snap. Even now after much work, where many days are often a kind of lovely flow and quite enjoyable, I still discover that I get going really fast, doing several things at once, not being present to myself at all.  

Why Pausing Changes Everything

Taking a pause really changes things.  It helps to actually say, “Stop”, and to do it.  Stop, notice, become present, sense inside, relax. Learning to pause flies in the face of nearly all my standard habits.  It’s so simple, and/but not easy, at least for many of us, including me! Tara B again:‘Explore the challenges of learning to pause, and the blessings that arise when we step out of our incessant mental and physical activity and reconnect with the being-qualities of presence, wisdom and love.”  

An Invitation to Pause Together

We are in this together, and I would be really pleased to know if/how you are learning to pause…how and when you incorporate taking a pause, or sacred pauses, into your life.

Continue the Journey of Self-Discovery

If this reflection on learning to pause resonates with you, I invite you to explore more thoughtful stories and insights on Becoming the Journey. This blog is dedicated to personal growth, self-reflection, and discovering meaningful moments that shape our lives. Browse other articles on the website and continue the journey toward greater awareness, balance, and authenticity in everyday living.

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Let Us All Give Thanks: Gratitude, Autumn & the Hunter’s Moon in Canada

Celebrate the spirit of gratitude this Canadian Thanksgiving with a heartfelt reflection on autumn’s beauty and the glowing Hunter’s Moon. As golden leaves shimmer and crisp October air fills the season with warmth, this inspiring post invites readers to pause, reflect, and embrace the true power of giving thanks.

Blending nature, tradition, and meaningful reflection, this blog reminds us that gratitude is more than a holiday practice — it’s a way of living with awareness and joy. Take a moment to slow down, appreciate the season’s blessings, and let your heart be full of thanks.

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Let Us All Give Thanks: Gratitude, Autumn & the Hunter’s Moon in Canada

Canadian Thanksgiving and the Beauty of Autumn

Thanksgiving in Canada comes in October, at a time where there are still Farmers Markets, pumpkins growing in the fields, leaves still on many trees, glowing with glorious color. Often there is crisp, clear air, stunning sunny days,,,moderate temperatures, and the rain hasn’t set in yet. All the above is true this year, and in this spirit, I want to wish you all, Canadians, and everyone far and wide, a joyful heart, full of thanks… and to remind us all of the power and glory of gratitude. Let us all give thanks! Indeed!

The Hunter’s Moon and a Special Thanksgiving Gift

And this year, we have an extra bonus… there is a full moon…called a Hunter’s Moon, to add to festiveness of the holiday. You can learn a bit more about this special moon, coming after September’s Harvest Moon, at this NASA site, it’s chock full of fascinating history, culture, tradition. Enjoy!

Gratitude, Memories, and Shared Stories

For your reading pleasure are some past posts, published around Thanksgiving. There are some sweet stories, fond memories, heartful pictures. What are some memories and stories YOU have about this time of year, and the transformative power of Gratitude? I’d like to hear. We’re in this together!

I hope you enjoy some of these essays. Let us all give thanks! Thanksgiving and Gratitude never grow old!

Continue the Journey of Gratitude

As we gather the gifts of autumn and reflect on the blessings in our lives, I warmly invite you to keep exploring, reflecting, and growing with us at  Becoming the Journey. Each post is an invitation to slow down, notice the beauty around us, and nurture a heart rooted in gratitude. May this season inspire you not only to give thanks, but to live thankfully — today and always.

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The Power of Positivity

The Power of Positivity struck me recently.  I liked the phrase, the alliteration, the effect on me when I read and said it!   “But what about all the horrors”, you may say…”the tragedies, the innocent suffering in the world.  Be positive about all that?”  Emphatically NO.  The power of positivity is not about being a Pollyanna and denying dark sides, challenges, hard emotions or actions, our own or others’. It’s actually a matter of where we put attention, about our focus and our thinking.  Yes, our thoughts and our thinking!

We Become What We Think

A challenge in My Life’s Journey has been to balance the seeming contradiction that I am not my thoughts or feelings (we are so much more than what we think or feel)…and at the very same time to grasp that we become what we think!   The Buddha said this many years ago: our life is shaped by our mind…we become what we focus on.   We could write books about these topics, and many have!  But to put it succinctly, where we put our attention is what looms large in our life, and the quality of our thinking, whether it’s catastrophizing or cultivating compassion, whether it’s planning and obsessing or focusing on gratitude and positive events or simply Being, these choices are part of what determines our quality of life, deeply affect our well-being and even our immune systems!   

It’s our mindset that leads the way…hence the “power of positivity”. Rather than looking for what could go wrong, living in fear and anxiety, if we focus on potential possibilities and what positive outcomes might exist in any given situation…no matter how challenging…that mindset affects us in numerous ways.  To me that is exciting and encouraging, and worth cultivating. 

The Choice of Focus

While we are not in charge of what happens, we do have some (or quite a bit or absolute!) control over our mindset, what we emphasize, where we put our attention.  Thich Naht Hanh, yes, him again! talks about smiling, inside and outside, how it completely transforms us from the inside to the outside, and changes the world as well!   

What are some situations where you can remember you were thinking?  Was it negative, how was that? Were you able, even at some difficult times, to stay positive? How was that?  I’d really be interested to hear some of your experiences. We are in this together. 

Keep Growing With Us

If this message spoke to you, don’t stop here. Explore more reflections on the blog, subscribe for fresh insights, and share this post with someone who could use a little encouragement today. Your growth journey is unfolding one intentional step at a time—stay inspired, stay mindful, and keep moving forward. Visit Our Site -: https://becomingthejourney.com/