We all carry a story about our lives. And if we’re honest, that story often leans heavily toward what went wrong.
It can start early—grammar school disappointments, college detours, relationships that didn’t last, family or parent challenges. Add in deals that fell apart, opportunities that slipped away, moments where we felt overlooked or misunderstood. Over time, it’s easy for those chapters to dominate the narrative in our heads.
But that’s only part of the story.
If we slow down and take a more honest inventory, there’s another side—often a bigger one. The wins. The breakthroughs. The special relationships that shaped us. The deals that closed. The risks that paid off. The quiet miracles we barely noticed at the time.
Life is a balance. Always has been.
What truly determines how we feel—and how we perform going forward—is not what happened to us, but where we place our focus. The mind gives power to whatever we dwell on. Focus on what went wrong, and frustration, fear, and hesitation tend to follow. Focus on what went right, and confidence, gratitude, and momentum start to take over.
Here’s a simple exercise: write two lists. One of everything that’s gone wrong. Another of everything that’s gone right. Most people are surprised by what they discover. The lists are usually balanced—and often the “right” list is longer. The difference is that we don’t revisit it as often.
Plenty of things have gone wrong in my life. No question. But plenty has gone right too. I’ve made a conscious choice about where I place my attention and my energy.
I choose to focus on what’s right.
And if you want to change how you feel, how you show up, and how you move forward—so should you.
