A new system at work brings extra tasks, unfamiliar expectations and understandable frustration. Those difficulties deserve attention. The change might also offer a skill you could develop, a problem you could help solve or a reason to clarify what support you need.
What catches our attention can influence which details we explore. When we remain occupied with everything we dislike, we may give the available possibilities little consideration. Looking more broadly means acknowledging the difficulties while asking what else deserves attention and where our effort could make a difference.
Attention Gives Us a Partial View
We can be paying close attention and still miss something relevant. Concentrating on one part of an experience leaves less attention available for other parts.
Psychologists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris demonstrated this in their research on inattentional blindness. Participants occupied with a visual task sometimes failed to notice an unexpected object in the scene. This finding concerns visual attention, but it illustrates a useful point: something can be present without entering our awareness.
In everyday life, we can ask: “What else might deserve my attention here?” Consider receiving feedback on a proposal. You might concentrate on the rejection and give little thought to the explanation.
Returning to the feedback could reveal a concern you can address or confirm that the proposal is unsuitable. Either way, examining more of the information gives you a better basis for deciding what to do.
Looking for Possibilities in My Own Life
I have learnt that looking for the positives can help me recognise opportunities. This approach has helped me personally and professionally, and I find that I feel happier more often when I give my energy to things I can influence.
That applies to how I think about work, business, politics and the economy. Some circumstances affect me even though I have little influence over them. I try to consider what they mean for my choices and whether there is an opportunity worth exploring.
For me, a useful question is: “Given the situation as it is, what can I do?” I can acknowledge the downside while considering a practical response. The benefit has come from spending less energy repeatedly objecting to circumstances and more on the choices available to me.
Look for a Fuller Picture
Looking for positives becomes less helpful if we overlook evidence that something needs to change. A promising idea needs scrutiny, just as a disappointing experience deserves a fair assessment.
University College London researchers explored how confidence can affect our response to contrary evidence. In a study involving judgements about moving dots, participants who were highly confident in an initial decision were less likely to use new information to correct an error.
Although the study used a simple visual task, it offers a reason to consider whether certainty is making us less receptive to relevant information. That question matters whether we believe nothing will work or feel convinced that our preferred plan must succeed.
Imagine that a business idea receives little interest. Before dismissing it or insisting it will succeed, examine who you approached, what they understood and what their responses suggest. There may be something to adjust or a good reason to stop.
Remaining open to learning includes allowing encouraging and uncomfortable information to influence your judgement. Possibilities deserve consideration, and so do limitations.
Put Your Attention Where It Can Be Useful
Some thinking helps us understand a problem. Some keeps us occupied with the same concern without bringing us closer to a decision. Western Australia’s Centre for Clinical Interventions distinguishes worrying from problem-solving in its self-help resources.
If you are concerned about changes in your industry, gathering reliable information might help you decide which skills to develop. Repeatedly reading similar predictions may eventually leave you with little more to act on. Try asking: “Am I learning something, making a decision or identifying an action?”
You may have direct control over a task, some influence over a shared decision and very little influence over a wider trend. Your response can reflect those differences. You could complete the task, make a clear request about the decision and prepare for the trend as far as your resources allow.
Limited individual control doesn’t make an issue unimportant. Voting, raising a concern or working with others can be meaningful ways to contribute. Once you have decided what involvement is realistic, you can return your attention to other parts of your life.
Explore One Possibility in Practice
A possibility becomes easier to assess when you investigate it. A modest, reversible step can help you learn whether an idea is worth pursuing.
For example, a recurring problem at home might prompt a conversation about sharing tasks differently. Trying a new arrangement for a week could reveal what helps and what needs adjusting. Before committing further, ask:
- What am I noticing most? Identify the difficulty taking up your attention.
- What else is relevant? Consider resources, support, unmet needs or information you may have missed.
- What could I reasonably try? Choose an action that fits your time, energy and circumstances.
- What would help me decide? Identify feedback that would support continuing, adjusting or stopping.
This is where putting useful ideas into practice matters. A short conversation or small trial may tell you more than another evening imagining how things could unfold.
The result may be encouraging, disappointing or mixed. Each can inform your next choice. Exploring a possibility might lead to a new direction or help you recognise that your effort belongs elsewhere.
Acknowledge How the Situation Affects You
There will be situations where looking for an opportunity feels premature or inappropriate. Losing something important, facing unfair treatment or dealing with serious uncertainty can require time, support and practical help.
You can feel angry while considering your options or disappointed while asking what might help. There is no need to feel cheerful before responding constructively.
Speaking about a problem can also help someone understand your experience, bring support or make an overlooked issue visible. What matters is whether that attention helps you process or address what is happening, rather than whether your words sound positive.
When you are exhausted, considering alternatives may feel demanding. Rest, company or help with an immediate need might be the most helpful response available. There is no requirement to extract a lesson from every difficult experience.
Leave Room for What You Haven’t Noticed
Looking for positives has helped me feel happier and recognise options I might otherwise have overlooked. I value that approach because it helps me work with the circumstances in front of me.
When a concern keeps occupying your thoughts, ask whether there is something else worth considering: a practical step, a source of support or a possibility to explore. Your focus can’t determine everything that happens, but it can help you recognise the choices available and decide what deserves your effort.
First published: 1 September 2025
Last updated: 9 October 2026
