“It takes no more time to see the good side of life than to see the bad.”

This is a famous Jimmy Buffet quote that is passed around social media often. From what I witness from so many people around me, there is more focus on what is bad that what is good. If we would focus more on good, I believe the world would shift to being a more friendly and safer place to live.

Whenever I read or hear something, my mind automatically brainstorms. I don’t take anything at face value. I dissect it, analyze and tangent. Ideas stem from it. Solution stem from it. Sometimes songs, poems or movie scripts stem from it. So, naturally when I saw this quote this evening, I came up with a few phrases (and a song) that stemmed from it. Here are the phrases:

1. It takes no more time to dream about the future than to dwell on the past
2. It takes no more time to focus on the present than to dwell on the past.
3. It takes no more time to focus on the skills you already have than to focus on what you wish had.
4. It takes no more time to praise something fascinating than to complain about something you dislike.
5. It takes no more time to forgive someone than to be angry at someone.
6. It takes no more time to plan for change than to regret.
7. It takes no more time to take a run than to sit and watch a TV show.
8. It takes no more time to realize your successes than to be disappointed by your failures.
9. It takes no more time to love than to hate.
10. It takes no more time to eat an apple than to eat a candy bar.
11. It takes no more time to smile at someone than to glare at someone.
12. It takes no more time to hope than to fear.
13. It takes no more time to read an article about how to improve the quality of your life than it does to read an article about a killer or another crime.
14. It takes no more time to trust yourself than to doubt yourself.
15. It takes no more time to be nice that to be rude or mean.

We only have 24 hours in a day. What you focus on each minute truly matters. You always have a choice on how to spend your time.

Now, I understand that many people have been trained to see the bad and negative. Due to this programming, it SEEMS easier to focus on those things. However, it takes as much time to change that programming as it does to binge watch a TV show on Netflix.