Dean Kent

The Train to Downer City

I do this thing all the time. It starts with me imagining where life might take me. 

And then… 

I begin the downward spiral of comparing that vision to where I’m at. 

I arrive at a place I’m used to. 

Downer city.

A place that exists solely to waste my energy. 

I could be creating something, instead I’m imagining my car breaking down or my house’s roof leaking.

It’s a strange place to be. Because I am actually doing really well. But my brain doesn’t want to accept that.

Building The Gratitude Muscle

Focusing on good things is breaking this cycle. And dampening down the far-reaching fantasies my mind creates that set me up for failure.

The more I think about what’s right, the more of those things I notice.

And the more life seems to lift me up and prepare me for more.

Here’s what got me going with making gratitude a habit:

• I started by writing down 3 things I was grateful for. I did this sporadically for a few weeks.
• I would then start thinking about these positive things without writing them down, this started happening naturally.
• I would notice, and I still notice from time to time, some resistance to being grateful. I push through that negativity, continuing to focus on what’s good in spite of it.

The Simple Things Lead to Success

Instead of investing my imagination into some far-off goal all the time, I’m buying stock in the simple things that make life good. And the things I can do now. 

That might be something simple. Like how I have a cool-ass Shih Tzu for a best friend. Or have my fridge stocked up with food this week.

Fantasizing about what I already have seems to be growing the abundance around me. And ironically, it’s taking me closer to what I want — that epic place in my wildest dreams.

I don’t know how it works. 

And at this point… I’m afraid to ask.