When everything is certain, it means that your conditions are more or less fixed. And fixed conditions mean that you have little chance of exerting any control over them.
When everything is uncertain, it means that your conditions are far more fluid and changeable. And this means that you have a much better chance of influencing conditions in your favour – if you’ve a mind to.
So here’s the bonus: When nothing is certain, anything is possible!
The Scenario: Undertaking an assessment of your present life, your attention comes to rest – along with mixed feelings – upon what you’ve done to bring you this far and become what you are.
Feeling REGRET is looking back on what is done & gone, and feeling guilt or shame or self-pity.
Insight: When you choose to REGRET, you end up stuck blaming yourself for your past mistakes rather than learning from them, and then applying those lessons to your present. You are effectively turning your back on progress and opportunities.
Taking RESPONSIBILITY is looking at how you’ve come to your present circumstances, and figuring out how to apply the lessons learned.
Insight: When you choose to take RESPONSIBILITY, looking backwards is not on the menu. You’ve admitted that you alone are responsible for where you are, how you’ve gotten here, and how you’ve become what you are now. And you are willing to work with what you’ve got.
The Takeaway: Ask yourself if you would be better served by asking yourself “What can I be doing RIGHT NOW to make myself and my future BETTER?”, or by looking to the past and lamenting what could have been. When you develop within yourself an intimate understanding of the difference between RESPONSIBILITY and REGRET, you can ensure that you remain always facing forward – a place of endless possibilities.
Are concentration and focus different?
Concentration is about the intensity of energy you are bringing to bear upon an issue. Focus is all about the scope of the attention you are paying to it.
When you know why you’ve chosen something and you trust that choice, you’ve actually “decided”. Until you reach this state, you’re still “thinking about it”.
Really important distinction!
Life often seems to be a never-ending contest for control. So it makes sense that most people want to feel in control of what they think & do with their lives.
Unfortunately, many people continue to labor under a huge misconception: “Control comes first, then self-discipline will follow.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. And if you think about it for just a moment, you’ll see why: without self-discipline, where exactly is control supposed to come from? Money? Status? Physical power? Nope – none of them are consistent. Someone or something reliable must direct these resources in the first place: your will.
Our reality dictates that each of has the right to direct our resources. A burden or a gift? Depends on your perspective! In any case we are all personally responsible for our thoughts, actions, and their outcomes. So the bottom line is this: if you desire control over your Life and your circumstances, discipline yourself first, then enjoy the control that follows.
When you let go of your conscious awareness, that is when you lose track of time.
If you concentrate your attentions on radiating confidence & aspirations from the inside out, you need never look back.