Focus on the doughnut and not on the hole

"Focus on the doughnut and not on the hole" was an expression that I heard on a very old album (yes, still have some of those hidden around the house) in a talk by a funny psychologist called Dr. Murray Banks. I loved the visual nature of the expression. There are so many events in life where this principle can apply in greater or lesser degree. Think of when you want something but are forgetful of what you have, or when you become distracted by what you want to do versus what you should do or when you look at the picture and forget the person who took it or when you focus on the pain and not on the remedy, or on the dream rather than the actions to make it real... such is the mystery of the way we choose to live our lives.

Of course dreams are important even if they don't become real, so too is feeling pain so that we learn what to avoid, in fact it wouldn't be a doughnut without the hole! So if the doughnut and the hole are inseparable in the expression then wherein lies the wisdom? The wisdom must be in the single word "focus". As in focus on being grateful for what I have (but remembering what I would like), focus on what I am doing (but remembering what I should be doing), focus on the picture (but remembering someone else had to be there to take it), focus on the remedy (but remember what the pain felt like), focus on the hard actions required to make a dream reality (but remember the dream which inspired the actions).

What does this mean in practical terms, in my interactions with others, in my work, in my spiritual development? There are many practical implications but the most important one for me is that it means I can not just be an observer, I have to be a participant. I can't just critique, I have to be involved. If I can dream of a better world, I have to look around me at reality, the resources and the problems and focus on actions to make the dream a reality.