I’m sure you have learned that it’s important to focus your attention on the thngs you want in life. By doing this in a cheerful manner and practicing the feeling of already having what you desire you will of course manifest your ideal life.

However, as you surely know, our mind does not always cooperate with us. In fact sometimes it seems determined to flash before us images and feelings that completely contradict what we wish to manifest.

There are many articles online about how to get clear of such thinking, and even how to counteract negative imagery the minute it enters your mind. But I want to go in a different direction with this post.

Let’s imagine for a moment that everything we experience, including our sometimes bizarre and random thought patterns, ultimately move us in the direction we want to travel. From this perspective even those annoying flashes of negativity and doubt can be used for our ultimate good.

Consider this: For most people it’s difficult to articulate what they really want in life. It’s not uncommon for it to take a long time (as in months) to really identify what an ideal life would look, sound, and feel like.

And even when we have a crystal clear picture it can begin to slip away if we don’t manage our intentions correctly. This is common for the majority of us, even when we have a good understanding of attraction and manifestation.

We can use our negative thinking, and our awareness of what we don’t want to our advantage. And we can do so either by consciously bringing what we don’t  want to mind, or we can just wait for these things to surface on their own and then turn the tables by using them in a productive manner when they do!

Here’s how this exercise can work…

The next time you become aware of the things, people, and events you don’t want as part of your life, embrace the thoughts. Spend a minute building a clear picture in your mind, and even make a detailed list of what these undesirable things consist of.

Don’t allow fear or anger to be a part of this experience. Detach yourself form the undesired experiences and just become intellectually aware of them in great detail.

Hold this in your mind for a few minutes, and then let it go. Then immediately bring up the things, people, and events you really do want as part of your life.

If you have made a detailed list about the things you don’t want, now is the time to contrast that list with details about what you do want. And as you think in vivid pictures about what you want, bring your emotions into play.

Notice how you now feel even more strongly about what you want! This is due to the stark contrast created by visualizing what you do not want beforehand.

This exercise has tremendous power, and variations of it are taught by many Law of Attraction writers like Joe Vitale, Michael Losier, and others. I strongly recommend you give it a try, and if it feels empowering to you consider using it from time to time.

It’s easy to take life and the things we want too seriously. But it’s important to remember…

Our life is not as real as we sometimes think it is. We are manifestations of the Universe, and this phenomenon we call life is only a small part of that.

William Walker Atkinson, author of Thought Vibrations wrote:

“The things we see around us are the playthings of the Kindergarten of God, playthings which we use for our game tasks. Help yourself to them - ask for them without bashfulness and demand as many as you can make use of…”

There’s something quite empowering about this notion. When we begin to think of life and all the things we want to do and have in the right context it becomes clear that we really can have all we desire.

We are part of the greater whole, as are all things around us. By wanting this or that, we are only asking for what is already a part of us.

It’s all worth a good laugh really. Money, love, health - all of these things are ours by right and we need not worry about offending God by asking for and expecting what is rightfully ours.

Sometimes it’s good to step back from our “serious” desires and just play the game. Letting go of deep needs and just having fun with it all is the sure way to attract and manifest all that we want and love.

The average person loses his or her attention span every 6 to 10 seconds. It seems in our present form we are a pretty scatter-brained organism.

But it doesn’t have to be like this. In fact this statistic applies to people who do nothing to focus their attention (and therefore their intention). Individuals who practice meditation and related exercises on a regular basis can hold their focus for extended periods of time.

Some people are naturally able to focus better than the rest of us. But for the majority, it takes work and determination to improve our attention spans and the power of our focused intention.

There are two very basic meditation exercises that can help you focus your mind sharper and longer.

The first is the basic breathing meditation. Sit in a relaxed position, allow the tension to fall away from your shoulders and hips, and focus your mind on your breath.

Do not attempt to control your breathing in any way. Just be aware of the air flowing into and out of your lungs. Observe for several minutes without interfering with the motion of your lungs.

When thoughts wander into your mind, just acknowledge them and return your attention to your breath. Doing this for several minutes a day will improve your attention span tremendously.

Another exercise you can perform is object meditation. Find a crystal, a candle flame, or anything else and, sitting in a quiet place, watch this object intently.

Relax your mind and focus your full attention on all details of this object. Allow your eyes to follow the contours of the crystal’s surface, or to watch the flame as it flickers and moves.

As thoughts enter your awareness, simply let them go and return to your observations. Doing this for a few minutes each day will do wonders for your ability to focus and direct your intention.

And as you get better at focusing, you can bring more power and intensity into your visualization practices, thus manifesting your desires more easily.