Is It Time to Rearrange Your Mental File Cabinet?

For some reason the natural human tendency seems to be to reflect on our negative experiences rather than our positive ones. At the end of the day, what stands out in your mind? Isn’t it true that we easily recall the things that went wrong during the day, but have to give some thought to what there was to be grateful for?

This tendency has to do with the way we mentally organize our experiences. The two most powerful forces in our lives are:

1) moving away from pain

2) moving toward pleasure

Of these two, moving away from pain is the more powerful. For this reason, painful experiences are stored in our memories in a way that makes them easier to access. Our mind sorts and organizes our experiences according to the priorities that we place on them. Unless we make a conscious effort, our natural tendency is to place a higher priority on pain than on pleasure. This is kind of a spin-off program related to our survival instinct.

We encounter expressions of this tendency all the time. How many people do you know that continually talk about their problems? Is it because problems are the only things going on in their lives? No, although it may seem that way to them.

We all experience challenges and blessings, that’s the way life is. Thankfully, we have the ability to organize our memories of those experiences in a way that places a higher priority on our blessings. Yes, we need to work at it, but doing so can completely change the way we experience life.

Would you like to organize your mental file cabinet so that positive experiences are given a higher priority than problems?

Think about the way you organize your kitchen cupboards. The items that you use most frequently are in front where you can easily access them. The items that are used less often, have a lower priority and are stored toward the back.

When you open the cupboard, what is the first thing you see?

You see what ever is stored in the front, and this serves as a reminder to you of what is contained in the cabinet. The items that are stored in the back can be easily forgotten. In fact, when you need one of them, you may have to go searching for it.

If you have a file cabinet, you are probably familiar with the files that are closest to the front. Those are the first ones you see, and they are probably the ones you access most often.

It’s all about organization

Whatever we focus on the most expands. At the same time, it moves up in priority compared of the things we focus on less often. How can we make practical application of this information?

One of the most effective ways I know of, is to keep a gratitude journal.

Personally, I’ve always shied away from the idea of keeping a journal. This year, that is going to change. This means that I am going to have to develop a new habit, which will require a little getting used to. So why bother?

Because I intend to have an absolutely extraordinary year! How about you? Are you interested in adopting a simple habit with the potential to powerfully shift your consciousness in a more positive direction? Here’s a simple way to accomplish that.

A gratitude journal

At the end of each day, open up your journal and make two entries. On the left, record the date, and one or two things that you have to be grateful for that day. On the right side, briefly write down one or two challenges that you faced, and the value of each. That’s all there is too it.

On the left side

As you sort through your day’s experiences, you will be searching for blessings. This means that your mind will be focused on, and moved to prioritize, all of the positive experiences you’ve had during the course of the day. Remember, what you focus on expands. After a week or two, you will begin to form a new habit, the habit of focusing on reasons to feel grateful.

Once your mind becomes accustomed to this new habit, it will change the way the you experience your day. Because your mind realizes that you are going to ask it to provide you with a list of blessings when the day is over, it will begin gathering that information throughout the day. With each passing day, it will be easier, and easier, to recall your positive experiences.

You can focus in only one direction at a time

The mind does not like to multi-task, it prefers to focus in one direction at a time. This means that you cannot give the same priority to positive experiences and problems at the same time. Training your mind to focus on your blessings means shoving problems to the back of the file cabinet. As your mental files become filled with reasons to be grateful, problems will seem increasingly farther away.

On the right side

So why are we going to write down our challenges on the right side if we’re trying to focus on blessings? The key here is to briefly describe the problem, and then to write down how you benefited from that problem. There is value in all challenges. What you write on the right hand side of your journal will teach you to recognize the hidden value of each challenge you face.

This approach will create a quantum shift in the way you view challenges. It will help you develop the habit of asking, “what can I learn from this?” If your mind is searching for the hidden value in each challenge you face, you will no longer view your challenges as problems. If something has value, then it must be a blessing, something to be grateful for.

So why have I decided to keep a journal?

Because the blessings that result from such a minimal effort far outweigh the tiny little investment required. This is a perfect example of a simple step that anyone can take to transform the way they experience their life. Are you willing to spend a minute are two at the end of each day to rearrange your mental file cabinets and drastically improve the quality of your life? I know I am, why not do it with me?

How do you feel about this?
Do you think it is worth the effort?
The lines are open, let’s talk about it…