Kudu’s to Dewitt Jones, a 20 year veteran photographer for National Geographic. Dewitt is one of those people who understands the power of focus; not just for a camera, but for life.
Joy and happiness derive from focus management, which is a technique to enhance quality of life, no matter what circumstance you face. Managing what you focus on works wonders simply by shifting your attention away from the negative and focusing instead on the positive; away from the ordinary and focusing on the extraordinary.
Focus is about what you pay attention to
Human beings are strange creatures when it comes to what they focus on. Isn’t it true that 10 great things can happen to you today along with just one bad thing, and in most cases, you’ll go home and burden your family and yourself with that one bad thing, while never even acknowledging the 10 good things? I know I’ve done that. So why is it that most people tend not to focus on the positive and fully engage themselves on the negative? The answer’s simple. That’s the way they’ve been conditioned.
What’s most exciting about focus management is that you can easily re-condition yourself to focus (or re-focus) on those things that will make you happy, so you can then celebrate all that’s right with the world. Jones, in his video http://mysp.ac/iAYXG discusses the power of vision. He claims that vision is all about attitude and says that, “vision controls perception and perception becomes your reality.” Isn’t it true that if you are watching a sad and depressing newscast, you can switch to a comedy station and instantly experience a full-blown belly laugh? Well, you have that same power in life. You simple have to tune out those negative things that are spoon-fed to you; things that are wrong with the world, and tune in and celebrate all that’s right with it.
Focus is the power of opportunity
Here’s a true story that is a prime example of focusing on what’s right with the world. Joe DiMaggio had a father who actually called his own son by the name, Good for Nothing, throughout his youth. You see, Joe couldn’t work in the family fish business because he got sick from the smell of fish. This didn’t sit well with Joe’s father who thought Joe was just lazy. So Joe was labeled, Good for Nothing. Even though his father’s criticism created immeasurable pain, Joe refocused his attention, not on his father’s disappointment, but on his love of baseball – that which was right in his world. By redirecting his focus, Joe DiMaggio was able to manage his emotions and become one of the greatest players to ever play professional baseball (And it didn’t take long for Joe’s father to become his greatest fan)!
Dewitt Jones speaks about how things changed for him when he began shooting pictures for National Geographic. “One day I did not focus on the light that shined on my subjects, but the light that shined within my subjects.” He openly admits that you have to look closely, but Jones calls this ‘a vision of possibility, not scarcity.” He says that nature has such beauty to share with us, but most miss it because we choose not to look for it – or focus on it. But no matter what you face in life, you can choose to see what’s right with the world and become enlightened by it… just by changing your focus.
You are a photographer
Dewitt Jones is a photographer. But you too are a photographer. If you don’t believe it, place a blindfold over your eyes and remain in the dark for an hour. I guarantee that in less than 15 minutes, you’ll remove the blindfold and have an appreciation for your eyesight – the lenses from which you see life – which you never truly appreciated before. You see, you have the power and the capacity to view life in a different way than you have been conditioned. You have the power and capacity to see and celebrate all that’s right with the world.
I encourage you to take 22 minutes and watch Dewitt Jones’ video: Celebrate What’s Right with the World. Then, use the powerful lenses between your ears to continually seek out the good, the beauty, and the miracles that exist for your viewing pleasure. http://mysp.ac/iAYXG
Author:
Jay Block is an industry pioneer and the nation’s leading motivational career coach. Jay is a best-selling author of 15 books, including his latest blockbuster: 101 Best Ways To Land a Job in Troubled Times (McGraw-Hill). He has a 20-year record of success for creating and recreating the career management industry. His website is: www.jayblock.com.
