Sometimes techniques can be very useful (as Ruth has mentioned above). It's when we become *reliant* on techniques (which are only a temporary expedient – a bridge) that we may come unstuck a little.

Also, having a "positive attitude" as opposed to a "negative attitude" will not work for long, because of the word "oppose". Neutralising (surrendering but not succumbing to) feelings of negativity works for better in my experience.

"Believing we can tackle the issue and searching for the solution is positively focused attention. This directs our attention to deal with the problem, rather than how we feel about the problem."

I've found it's more important to look at how we feel about the problem. Believing we can tackle an issue will not neutralise the feelings about it, ultimately.

For me, *none* of this is about thinking. It is about being inspired from *beyond* thought.

As you seem to have indicated, *that* comes from a relaxed state.

I enjoyed your post and it's possible that I've misinterpreted it somewhat!

Best Wishes,
Tim

Victoria, good point that I didn't consider. In this context though, I'm only talking about what we believe we should be doing, but aren't.

Tim, just to clarify I we probably mean a similar thing even though our words are different.

What I mean is many people waste so much feeling panicked about how they feel about something. So this will lead to wasted energy.

Whereas being focused on dealing with the issue at hand in a relaxed state allows you to tune into ideas 'beyond thought'. I have a post planned along these lines.

Kirsten, I agree with Tim that this is the place for techniques.

But I would also say that you need to plan ahead to prepare for these things. Again, this is a future post planned soon that will hopefully make more sense when you read it all.

This makes a great deal of sense and I have thought a great deal about one of your previous posts where you make it plain that you have worked hard for many years to be where you are now. I think this is the key i.e. we have to know what we want and be very focused on getting the result. Both take time and effort but my experience is that the process feels good so it is a pleasure. My only comment is about meditation – having worked hard on this technique now for several months I have a completely different perspective and would say it is not just about the meditation process itself but also what happens in between. Very simply for me it is a process by which I have become more aware and thus increasingly know what I want and am finding ways of achieving this. I can better capture those thoughts which have a habit of passing through if that makes sense to anyone. It really I feel boils down to using the mind in a positive way rather than letting it rule us.