Seeing Fault

What we see depends mainly on what we look for.

~ John Lubbock

This quote has been stuck in my mind lately. It seems that everywhere I look these days I find fault. Mostly with myself, but also with others. Just when I thought I was getting better at avoiding this sort of thing. Since I've been down lately I think that I have been allowing those down feelings to control what I see. I've been looking for the bad and the ugly. And when I find it (because you will find it if that's what you're looking for) it becomes all I can see. Particularly when I look in the mirror.

But the beauty in all of this is that we can always turn it around. When we look for bad we find it, but when we look for good, we can find that as well. I see good and beauty in others everyday, and if I focus on that then soon I will see more and more of that and less of the bad.

I know that this works when I think of others. I've tried it. But I've never tried it in concerns to how I see myself. At least not long enough for it to really catch on and spread like it does when I look for it in the world around me. But I have a theory that if I would just make an effort I might actually be able to only see the good. Well, let's be honest, there will always be days and moments when I'll look in the mirror and go, "Whoa. Hello zit face," or whatever, but wouldn't it be neat if those were in the minority?

So when I look at this rather blurry photo and others, I want to see the good. I want to see the positive. That's something I'm going to actively work on. And when the negative thoughts creep in, because they will, I am going to acknowledge them and then replace them with something kind towards myself. Because I have the power to change my attitude. It just takes practice.