Don't think so? When I was a little girl, five or six, maybe, I watched the "Wizard of Oz" for the first time. My next younger sister watched, too, along with Mom and Dad. They thoroughly enjoyed the movie while I cried myself to sleep - afraid of the Wicked Witch of the West.

We were all in the same room, watching the same movie on the same TV set, eating the same popcorn. They had a great time and I was scarred for life. What was the difference?

Focus.

So, you want to drastically improve your experience of life?

Change your focus.

Automatically, your experience of life changes. Period. No exceptions.

Easy to do?

Not as I recall, no. And I have my own brand of relapses still today.

But my focus today is completely different than it has ever been and continues to change and evolve, and with it, so does my experience of life.

But, I'll give you this: I remember how hard it was to "take my mind off of" something or someone. Next to impossible, at least for me, for far too long a time.

Until my life screamed loudly enough at me to get my attention. Yes, there have been some "pivotal" moments in my life - everyone has those. What I'm talking about is bringing an end to a continuous slide down a very steep hill to hopelessness. That "thud" when you hit bottom. Nowhere to go but sideways or straight up, and sideways sucked.

So, I changed my focus. At first for only a few minutes at a time. That was all I could muster.

But...how is it we get good at things?

Practice.

On purpose.

You purposefully make time to pay attention to what you're thinking and if you find your nose burning at the stench of your thoughts, you change them...immediately. And you keep them changed, until one day it's not really work. You don't hunker down and think harder...you just are...and it's different.

And you realize...your experience of life has changed.