What are you focused on?

I tend to make simple things complicated and maybe that is why I love the compound effect. I love it because it is simple. One simple action repeated over time equals change.  The biggest benefit to this idea is it forces me to FOCUS. 

When I’m taking pictures with my big camera and using my 35mm lens I have the option to focus on one main object while blurring out the rest.  The other things in the picture don’t disappear, they simply don’t become the focus. 

Whether we notice it or not we tend to focus on specific areas in our life.  We focus on the negative or on the positive.  We focus on certain relationships over others. We focus on one area of our lives while blurring out the rest.  The question I ask is, am I focused on the right thing? Am I focusing on the things that God wants me to focus on?  

Let me geek out for just a second.  Each month I take an inventory of my life by looking at the different categories.  Which area am I doing well in?  Maybe I’m rocking it with keeping the house clean but haven’t been great about spending quality time with the family.  Maybe I have carelessly stopped saying kind things to the kids, giving them encouragement and notice that their attitudes towards me have been sour lately.  Whichever area I am struggling in is the one I choose to FOCUS on for the following month. 

I focus even further by choosing ONE action I can do every day over time to care for that piece of my life.  If you’re one who likes to journal you can check out the printout that I use. 

Why bother knowing I’ll never live life perfectly?  BECAUSE it’s not about perfection for me, it’s about actively stewarding well.  I want to care for each area of my life the best I can with  the time, knowledge, and resources that I have.  It looks different month to month, season to season, because life is constantly changing. The one thing that stays the same is the process. 

This month I'm focusing on spending 15 minutes writing every single day, it's one of my favorite hobbies.  It's not an action that will hav ea HUGE impact in 30 days but it's been the perfect focus this month.  You see, I am an enneagram two.  I have a tendency to care for those around me before I care for myself.   With the entire family under one roof without anywhere to go I can go all day doig things for everyone else and not take time for myself.  This small action reminds me of my need to step away and take some time doing something I enjoy, a time to reset and refresh.  A little writing everyday helps keep the crabby mood away! 

I'll see you next time,