People always ask me how they can clear out all their negative thoughts, worries and fears; and enjoy the bliss that comes with positive thinking, optimism, acceptance and appreciation. Well, let me share a story.

I have a craving for Chicken Piccata right now. More specifically, I have a taste for Chicken Piccata from the Cheesecake Factory Restaurant with angel hair pasta in garlic lemon butter.

To satisfy my craving, what do I need to do? Well that’s easy, right? I need to schedule a time to go to the restaurant, order the dish off the menu, and enjoy the exact taste I am craving in this moment. It’s really quite simple, but it requires focus and consistency of thought, and it’s not as easy as it looks. Let me explain why.

Once I get to the restaurant there will be distractions. As I enter I may smell other wonderful dishes and be tempted by them. As I am seated I will pass many tables where patrons are enjoying Fettuccini Alfredo or a California Cheesesteak Sandwich. I many see a server passing with a wonderful plate of Herb-Crusted Salmon and mashed potatoes. I may be tempted by the Luau Salad at the table. Finally, the server will try to tempt me by describing today’s specials.

So many distractions and temptations to lose focus from the reason I came to the restaurant in the first place… to satisfy my craving for Chicken Piccata. In addition, I may struggle just to get to the restaurant. I may see a commercial for Applebee’s on television. I may hear a two for one special on the radio for the Fox and Hounds restaurant. I may have a group of friends who call to invite me to Bravo. I may have a co-worker who raves about their filet last night at McCormick and Schmick’s. It’s easily possible that I will never actually make it to the Cheesecake Factory at all.

There are so many distractions and so many opportunities to lose focus on satisfying my specific craving for Chicken Piccata. This may seem like such a simple story with no great life consequence, but there is a valuable lesson here.

Think about anything you want in your life… more money, better health, a more trusting relationship, or a more satisfying career. You can’t get to any of these things without focus of thought. Think about simply getting to more positive thinking and creating more happiness for yourself. You can’t get there without masterfully avoiding the distractions.

There are constant distractions from achieving the goal of positive thinking. There is the television newscasts, newspaper headlines, family members who want to complain, friends who want to talk politics, co-workers who want to tell you how the company should be treating you differently. And then, of course, there is the distraction of your own negative thoughts along the way.

Getting to a life filled with happiness regardless of what is happening around you requires mastering the concept of acceptance and leaving judgment behind. Pure joy comes from focusing on appreciation in your life. True lasting peace comes from the transformation of your thought to all things positive.

To get to this place requires avoidance of all the negative distractions along the way, and a commitment to focusing on the goal. It requires the simple disciplines of all the mechanisms I teach in my book Extreme Thought Makeover™ and in these Daily Focus emails. It’s not hard, it simply requires focus. It’s no different than getting to a restaurant and ordering a menu item. It just requires a simple commitment and focus of thought. It really is that simple and that easy. Just do it, because it is so worth it.

If you want to satisfy your craving for Chicken Piccata, you have to avoid the temptation of the Herb-Crusted Salmon.

Enjoy,

Rick

p.s. the book Extreme Thought Makeover™… 37 Days to Maximum Life! Is available to order at http://www.rickschaefermd.com