What You See is What You Get 
By Glen Hopkins 
 
H. Jackson Brown Jr. once wrote, “Your mind can only hold one thought at a 
time, make it a positive and constructive one.”  As simple as these words 
may seem, they are in fact, very true.  You see, if you are looking for a 
way to feel better at any given moment, all you have to do is change what 
you are focusing on.  Your brain is a very powerful tool that you own and 
you should use to your advantage.  

When was the last time you were reminiscing about a great time in your 
life and it made you feel terrible?  When was the last time you were 
thinking about a painful event in your life and it made you feel good? 
I’d venture to say you answered ‘never’ to both of these questions. 
That’s because what you focus on in life is what you get! Would you be 
willing to agree that Mother Teresa felt a great deal of love in her life 
because love was her main focus in life? 

Understanding this, next time you find yourself in a less than desirable 
situation, be sure to find the positive side of it and focus your 
attention on that.  Not only will you feel better about the situation but 
also you will actually be in a better frame of mind to work through it. 
With this mindset you will find yourself focusing on the solution rather 
than the problem. 

The best way to control your focus is to ask yourself good questions. 
Such as, “What can I find that is good in this situation?”  “What have I 
learned from this that will make me more successful the next time?”  “How 
can I make this situation better?”  By asking yourself effective 
questions, you will force your brain to look for and find a solution for 
what you can do to solve a problem and how you can make a situation better. 
On the other hand, if you ask yourself self-defeating questions such as, 
“Why does this always happen to me?”  “Why can’t I have that?”  “What did 
I do to deserve this?”  Your brain will look for those exact answers and 
tell you why bad things happen to you, why you can’t have something and 
why you deserve something bad.  Do you see what is happening here?  You 
are confirming to yourself why you don’t deserve something and why bad 
things happen to you.  Now it’s one thing when someone else tells you 
something like that, but when you tell it to yourself, you are sure to 
believe it!  I guarantee you will always believe yourself on a 
subconscious level if not on a conscious level.  In other words, be 
careful what you ask for! 

“Ask and you will receive.  Seek and you will find; Knock, and it will be 
opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7 

So practice focusing on positive thoughts and learn to ask yourself 
effective questions that will lead to constructive answers.  If you look 
hard enough, there will always be a positive side to every situation.  And 
for the challenges you must face in life, focus on the solution, not the 
problem.  If you focus on the problem at hand, you will never find the 
solution.  Focus on your dreams and they will become a reality.  Ask 
yourself “How can I reach my dream?”  Don’t be surprised when your brain 
gives you the answer! 
 
- Glen Hopkins 

This article may be reprinted with the following attachment: 
Copyright (c) 1999 Glen Hopkins 
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Coach's column: What If You Couldn't Fail? 

Failure is defined as "falling short of hitting the target." 
What if you couldn't fail? How differently might you approach 
challenging situations if you knew you could be successful? 
To look at "failure" we need to look at two aspects. First, the 
targets we set and second, our definition of success. For 
example, I'm a retailer who sets a sales target of 10 widgets. 
I only sell 9. Am I a failure or did I succeed 9 times and run 
out of time? To get one sale I may have had to speak to 10 
people. If my product did not meet the needs of 9 of these people 
I spoke to, did I fail? Was each "no" a failure or a stepping 
stone to success? 

Baseball, and especially last year's home run quest by Mark 
McGuire and Sammy Sosa is a great example of failure. Both 
these men swung at the ball and missed it or hit it the wrong way 
about 100 times more often than they hit it the way they wanted. 
The average "professional" baseball player who earns $1 million 
per year fails to get on base 75% of the time. Seven times out 
of ten at bats, he walks back to the dugout having been 
unsuccessful at his job. Or was he? Baseball is a game of 
statistics and so is life. 

If we take one, two, three or ten setbacks as evidence of 
failure, how would we progress? Thomas Edison is known to have 
tried to create the electric light bulb more than 1000 different 
ways. One of his financial backers is said to have asked, "Tom, 
why don't you quit? Can't you see this idea of yours is a 
failure?" Edison’s response was, "“Every time it did not work I 
got feedback on how to make it better. I have now eliminated 
1000 ways it does not work and I get closer and closer to 
success." Every failure moved him toward to his goal. 

Thomas Edison, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, all had one thing in 
common. They looked at their results as feedback which helped 
them adjust their actions and move toward greater and greater 
chances for success. They learned from their mistakes. They 
took missing the mark as feedback to fine-tune their efforts 
until the results matched their target. 

Many of us are easily dissuaded and discouraged by not 
succeeding the first time we try something new. The learning 
experience of "falling short of hitting the target" can bruise 
the ego. The projected pain of not looking good or feeling 
inadequate has stopped many efforts to even try to hit the mark. 
Why not turn a missed target into a new learning opportunity? 
Step back from the situation and ask yourself, "What adjustments 
would bring me closer to my target?" Keep your eye on the ball 
and keep swinging! 

Thank goodness Thomas Edison kept trying and did not quit when 
he fell short of hitting the target in his early attempts to 
create the electric light bulb. Otherwise I might have had to 
write this by candlelight! 

- Robert Knowlton  
http://www.successoptions.com   
 

When faced with problems or setbacks in your life, what is your immediate  
reaction? If you're like most people, you probably curse them. Why did  
this have to happen to me? What am I going to do now? My plans are ruined!  

This response is only natural. However, after the initial disappointment  
wears off, you have a choice to make. You can either wallow in misery and  
dwell on the negative aspects of your situation or you can find the  
benefit or lesson which the problem is offering. Yes, you will probably  
face a period of uncertainty or struggle, but there is always a flip-side  
to the difficulty. You see, a "problem" is often not a problem at all. It  
may actually be an opportunity.  

You probably know or have heard about someone who lost his or her job and  
then went on to start a successful business. In most instances, that  
person will tell you that if he or she had not been laid off, the new  
business would never have been started. How about the times you were  
absolutely convinced that a particular job was perfect for you; you had a  
great interview and just couldn't wait for the offer. And you were  
rejected. Days or months later a new job came along and you realized that  
the first position would not have worked out. The rejection was, in fact,  
a blessing.  

How Adversity Serves Us  
In my experience, adversity can serve us on the following levels:  
1. Adversity gives us perspective. Once you have recovered from a  
life-threatening illness, a flat tire or a leaky roof doesn't seem so  
troubling anymore. You are able to rise above the petty annoyances of  
daily living and focus your attention on the truly important things in  
your life.  

2. Adversity teaches us to be grateful for the many blessings we normally  
take for granted. Through problems and difficulties, especially those  
which involve loss or deprivation, you develop a deeper appreciation for  
many aspects of your life. It's trite but true -- you don't usually  
appreciate something until it is taken away from you. When you have no hot  
water, you suddenly value hot water. Not until you're sick do you cherish  
good health. The wise person continues to dwell on blessings, even after  
the loss or deprivation has passed.  

3. Adversity strengthens us and allows us to discover a reservoir of  
previously untapped abilities. After surviving a difficult ordeal or  
overcoming an obstacle, you emerge emotionally stronger. Life has tested  
you and you were equal to the task. Then, when the next hurdle appears,  
you are better equipped to handle it. Problems and challenges bring out  
the best within us -- we discover abilities that we didn't know we  
possessed. Many of us would never have discovered these talents if life  
hadn't made us travel over some bumpy terrain.  

4. Adversity encourages us to make changes and take action. Most people  
cling to old, familiar patterns regardless of how boring or painful their  
lives have become. It often takes a crisis or a series of difficulties to  
motivate them to make adjustments. Problems are often life's way of  
letting you know that you are off course and need to take corrective  
action.  

5. From adversity, we gain valuable knowledge which we can use at a later  
date. Take the example of a failed business venture: the entrepreneur may  
learn something that enables him or her to succeed spectacularly on the  
next endeavor.  

6. A problem or difficulty leads us to something better. A relationship  
terminates and you go on to a more satisfying relationship. You lose your  
job and find a better one. In these instances, the "problem" is not a  
problem at all, but rather an opportunity in disguise.  

7. Overcoming adversity makes you feel better about yourself. When you  
muster all of your courage and determination to overcome an obstacle, you  
feel competent and gain confidence. You have a greater feeling of  
self-worth and you carry these positive feelings into subsequent  
activities. Sure, you'll have your share of problems and adversities in  
life. I'm not suggesting that when tragedy strikes you deny your emotions  
or refuse to face reality. What I am saying is don't immediately judge  
your situation as a "tragedy" and dwell on how bad off you are. Sometimes  
you won't be able to instantly spot the benefit which will come from being  
in your situation ... but it does exist.  

Don't give up. Continually ask yourself what you have learned from your  
trying experience and focus on moving forward and growing as a person. In  
times of crisis, always strive to maintain an optimistic attitude and an  
open mind -- for this is the environment that will allow you to turn your  
problems into opportunities.  

Jeff Keller  

Jeff Keller is a motivational speaker and delivers his presentations and  
seminars to businesses, groups and trade associations throughout the U.S.  
and abroad. He is the author of the newly released book, Attitude is  
Everything. For more information on Jeff's products and services, visit  
his web site: http://www.attitudeiseverything.com