“Observations not only disturb what is to be measured, they produce it.”
Pascual Jordan, German physicist
This is a story about a speck and infinity. Since infinity is a rather difficult concept to grasp, I’m going to use the metaphor of this familiar painting:
For the sake of argument, let’s pretend Mona Lisa here is infinity.
And here is Exhibit A. Ergo: a speck:
( . )
It should be pretty obvious, even to the untrained eye, that Da Vinci’s famous painting is a heck of a lot bigger than this itty, bitty speck.
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Notice, you practically have to strain your eyes to see it.
Yet the speck is what we have spent the last several months (and indeed most of our lives) focusing upon. The speck is the anomaly of say, this year’s political season.
While most of the world is perfectly fine (the sun’s still rising, autumn’s trees are still ablaze in brilliant colors, school crossing guards are still directing hand-holding kindergartners across the street) and 99.999999 percent of its inhabitants are safe and alive and still breathing fresh, clean air, we’ve glued our attention to this one insignificant speck.
The world we see on television–the mayhem, the violence, the unsightly bathtub scum–is but a particle, a grain, a hardly-worth-registering speck. Especially when you compare it to the size and scope of the Creator’s enterprise here. Our earth is one planet among billions of planets that form one single universe of which we’re told there are also billions.
We draw out of the magnificent Field of Infinite Potentiality a speck of seeming disaster and we staring at it like it’s a 16-plex movie cinema.
Herein, lies the challenge of our times. We animate into our lives whatever we place our attention upon.
Once something grabs our attention (a headache, a bad review, an unfortunate world event), we devote every waking moment to worrying about it, to getting the latest twitter updates. And as long as we keep looking at the speck, it will only grow.
What do you say we bring our attention back to what’s working, to beauty, to Truth.
If you can see even a tiny glimpse of goodness, of peace, of kind, well-meaning fellow humans, place your attention on that. This simple truth is what will ultimately save the world.
We draw into our lives whatever we focus upon. Isn’t it time to take our battery-powered headlamps off the speck and focus on the beauty, the depth and the Truth of Mona Lisa?
Pam Grout is the author of 18 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the just released, Thank and Grow Rich: a 30-day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy.
32 Responses
Again! You knocked it out of the ball park! Hally Loo!
Pam, this is a glorious support–and timely. Because we all need to hear it, whether it’s for the first time or as a gentle reminder. Thank you.
Speck-tacular!! That’s now my personal redirect word for when I need it. Like a magic wand, I can instantly shrink what has outgrown its appropriate size in my attention. Ooo! Harry Potter would say, “Specktaculoso!” with a wave and a flourish! Me, too!!
If only it was you who was running for President! And I am Canadian. Finally, the truth is spoken. Here is to looking at the big picture Pam and taking focus away from what is really important.
That really should have read “Here is to looking at the big picture Pam and not taking focus away from what IS really important.
Love, love, love… I believe reading this was the first of my “amazingly awesome” events for the day! 🙂
Thank you, Pam!
Really needed this today. Love you, Pam!
Do I ever agree to this. That dam speck is a nuisance. Hope your day is filled with love and awesomeness. Look out Mona here I come. Loved your message about the book. I tend to avoid books that deal with pedophile people. Not worth the speck. Off to brush teeth and motor off to Tai Chi. Loving you lots and sending healing your way. Chat later love you Mom
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Thank you I took Facebook and Twitter yesterday because I was so focused on the gloom and doom of the election. I realized it was taking it’s toll
Thank you for helping me bring my focus on The Good Stuff. Reading this today has been A Good Thing and I will place it in my Tell Me Something Good jar.
Thank you Pam for prompting me to look at The Good Stuff. Reading this today is going into my Tell Me Something Good jar.
Only I would substitute YOU for the Mona. Thanks.
Brilliant – a special thanks for this today!!!!
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Amen xo
Bravo! Well expressed, and 100% truthful. Being forgetful creatures, hypnotized by the things of the moment, we need to practice this daily–perhaps hourly –even minutely. You could write a whole book around this paragraph –it is an ancient piece of wisdom, but need to be constantly updated for each place and time .
Al
Oh, I do love your short, sweet, and very powerful articles! They are so meaningful. You are always right on, Pam. Keep it up!
Perfect timing… I had a dream last night about a disturbing focus, and in the dream I walked away from it. Love how you showed the Mona Lisa as the alternative. There is so much beauty in our world, and it feels so fine to appreciate it. Thanks for sharing your beautiful thoughts in your books!
‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.’ ~ Keats
That was a good one, Pam. And your timing is superb. Thanks for the effort you take with these updates on reality. Much appreciated!
Thank you, Your timing was perfect. And to the nay sayers regarding your book, they unfortunate in their view of the Universe.
Thank you Pam , for this beautiful reminder that we can always choose to focus on love and the millions of good stuff happening in the universe.
Eagerly awaiting my copy of your new book! There seems to be a delay here in India .
Love and blessings!
I read your two previous books and just received “Thank And Grow Rich” in the mail a few days ago. I have only a couple of chapters so far. A man I loved with all my heart for the last three years phoned me two days ago and said he met someone new and will be going out with her now. We have the same social circle and will still see each other frequently. Intellectually, I tell myself that there is someone better for me, but that doesn’t lessen the hurt I am feeling now. I am always grateful for the many blessings in my life and thank God for them every day. Your posts are an inspiration for me and I thank you for sending them.
I feel you. You have every right to feel hurt, but that kind of one-way-love is like a phone call : as long as your love is focused on him, your love-line will ring occupied for any other love who is trying to call you. If you take your love off of him, you will be available for the new love who is waiting for you, your love-phone will ring and you’ll be able to take the call ! Make yourself free for the love that’s awaiting 🙂 Take the time for your healing, but know that there is love in store for you. I Promise ! 🙂
Hi there. I was in a similar situation. My son who is very wise and spiritual and a Life Coach said “mother, I want you to write down exactly what you want in a man” (my reply..”I don’t want another man, happy to be on my own now). He said…mother, I don’t want you wandering in to another relationship, you know I love dad, and your next partner was okay, but think about what you didn’t like about them and write a list only in the positive of what you do want, and this time mother…Go For Gold! Head the page up, My wish list…My partner is: (written like I already had him)…
Then bullet point all what you want. I filled out two pages and totally went for gold. I met him one month later in an area that I would never normally be but I was showing a friend around Melbourne who was visiting from NZ. We stopped for a coffee at a bakery that had a Jazz band (I am a Jazz singer) and some of the guys are musicians I also use so of course they invited me up to sing a number of songs. Wayne had just bought a new car (he’d been on his own for 2 1/2 years after a divorce). He said he decided that day to drive to a bakery his ex had told him about as it had a Jazz band. (Wayne loves Jazz and has been studying Jazz and collecting Jazz music since he was a teenager). He decided he needed to get out so he can get to meet people (he now had a car) and the woman of his dreams! He heard me sing there and the rest is history and we are now in our seventh year and it still feels like our first date. He actually ticked every box and I have never been so happy…he’s the same.
We used this method to find a place to live in together. It ticked all the boxes right down to the area, exact price and a lemon tree in the fully enclosed back yard.
I was 54 when I met him and he was 46 and he’s just gorgeous!
My son said…Mother, if you don’t know what you want, how can the universe deliver it to you…WRITE IT DOWN!
Love it! Thanks for the reminder.
Timely and perfect! Thank you!
Amen! Amen! Amen! So well positioned.. Thank you. I am diverting my attention to all of the Peace that already exixts so that it can grow. Thank you!
Pam, we did the experiment about green cars (and we chose green because I had no idea what sunset beige was) and since that day I’ve seen more green cars around than I ever have in the entirety of my previous existence. By the end of the day I had seen well over 40 of them, and I proposed that the only way I would know if I was actually drawing things into my life versus simply noticing that was there that I had missed before, was if I started seeing clusters of green cars. Well, the very next morning after that experiment I ended up having to take a different route to work because the lights were all green – ironically – and I drove past the driveway of three green cars – a small cluster – followed in about a mile by an entire working yard full of green construction equipment diggers. We’re talking bulldozers, tractors, bobcats- all in green rather than the usual yellow or orange. So, mission accomplished. Apparently, I either draw myself to what I think about or I draw it toward me. Either way I get to experience it.
I had the same thing happen to me, but I saw both colours and still do to this day. It is a reminder for me to keep my eyes on what I want and don’t let the “what ifs” even have a chance.
Pam
You are truly inspirational. I really love and appreciate your wisdom.
With Blessings and Love
Norman
Thank you for the beautiful article. I love reading your insights.
Blessings Pam, thank you for the gentle reminder. I stopped watching the political news and am truly focusing on the blessings in my life. 🙏🙏🙏
have love to love these
Yesterday while out driving I saw three signs that pertain to something specific that want in my life. When i woke up this morning I asked God “if you were responsible for putting those signs in my awareness, then I want to see three tigers somewhere today. I did see them and got the connection I had been wanting. I am so blessed!!!