Water the flowers, not the weeds

Much of this year has been a time of unrest for me, of distress, panic, fear, and vulnerability without comfort.  In the midst of this, a massage therapist shared with me that meditation could be helpful, and that led me to browsing the website of Ziva Mind, which she had recommended.  While I never did sign up for their subscription, I did find this one phrase that stuck out for me and brought fresh breath to my spirit.

Water the flowers, not the weeds.

When your days seem effortless and you're filled to the brim with thankfulness,
treasure these seasons of happiness.

When your control of situations slips with your grip,
dwell on where you are steady and secure.

When everything is something to complain about,
hunt for the blessings you haven't noticed yet.

Now this phrase just assumes that there are flowers with the weeds, which I wanted to point out.  There is something beautiful and worthy of gratefulness, no matter where you are.  I have yet to come across a story where that isn't true.  If you're where I was a few months ago, take heart.  When we dwell on the negative, it grows larger and stronger, even if it's just in our perspectives.  The same happens for the good when we dwell on it.

This is something I haven't taken to heart and action completely yet, but I know it will only benefit myself and others to focus on the positive and to allow that mindset to bring buoyancy to every area of my life.  To help with this, I have picked up meditation.  I'm nowhere close to being good at it, but just like yoga, it's something that you get better at with time, and even when you suck at it, it already has benefits to offer.  I plan on writing a post soon with some first impressions and ideas for getting started with meditation.

My question for you

How do you stay buoyant in your life?  In your crappy and straight up awful situations?  What keeps you strong or calm or persistent?  If you could start getting things right much earlier, what advice would you share with yourself?

You can see the page where I found this maxim here along with some great advice on managing holiday and travel stress.