“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.”
Proverbs 4:25-27 NLT
Our world today is fuller than yesterday of distractions that can seem overwhelming. Is that even possible after all we have been through in the last two years? The answer is yes! It seems to continue to pile up each day to the brim! How can we stay focused?
I am the first to admit that I am finding it challenging to stay focused on what I know is the purpose God has given me in my life to complete. The world’s noise filters into our lives from different points, and we cannot avoid it altogether. I try! It is not just this noise you have to contend with, but the noise you generate yourself. How do you turn the volume of your noise down or off?
Many people we admire as leaders seek out support, coaches, mentors, and mental or spiritual advisors. It is accepted more today than it has been in the past. I am not sure why we as a society decided to look down on others who were constantly working to look up to regain their footing.
I am focusing on strategies to help me maintain a focus on completing what I know I need to prioritize during the season I am in at this time. The noise in my head tells me: You are behind! You better create more content, get on social media platforms, you need more followers, no one is engaging and you are not working fast enough to keep up.
Strategies with purpose and focus
- Avoid looking forward or backward; look up
- When your heart is in it, you have no limits
- Replace the noise with a phrase: Let Go, Let God
- Address the biggest priority first, then the rest you will do your best to complete
- Action time is daily and needs to be a habit, but working to replenish my fuel is different than refueling.
- Get out of the way
- Keep going
- Be intentional with everything you do
- Plan, Have a Routine, Establish good habits
- Establish healthy rest times and nutrition
- Discover what helps provide you with a disconnect and release. Example: Yoga, meditation, Learning something new, Excercise
- Stop isolating- I do this. I do not know about you, but I am guilty about staying in my little corner now. Reach out and connect with others!
In times of conflict, fear, and distrust, our first response is to retreat. Even the greatest and wisest have their limits in what they can endure. There will not be an individual to “fix” the issues we face for us. It is up to us to be part of the solution. We are the authors of the most extraordinary story we can create; it is our life story. It begins today with the action steps we take to start our journey of focusing on the straight path to success.
My eyes maintain a clear focus on the efforts I need to achieve. We are exercising, eating healthier, working on our rest, and developing additional ways to strengthen our straight path forward. I still have many things to work on, but today is better than yesterday, which means tomorrow looks brighter!
