Keeping the Focus on the Focus

I am very ambitious and driven to succeed.  

I want what I want and sometimes I can go overboard when I see something that I want. 

Like many ambitious people, I get excited and then want to do all the things!  But as we all know, You cannot do all the things and be successful. 

You have to be focused and not easily distracted. 

This past week I told one of my friends that my goal right now was to:

FOCUS ON MY FOCUS.  

I've really made it a point in these last few years to SAY NO when I don't think something is lining up with values or my mission, but sometimes I hear about an opportunity and I think:  DO IT!!! However that's before I sit down and count the costs.  As a business owner, this is a great way to end up in the red.

Recently, I asked one of my advisors if I should invest in an opportunity and she told me:

Do it if you're not attached to the Return on Investment

Well in this particular instance, it would have been a significant investment so I would have been attached to my return.  It may have been a good opportunity but not the right decision at the time.

Sowing and Reaping

This past week I've started thinking about how much I've been investing and sowing these last few years.  Whether it is my business or myself, I've been doing a lot of investing and sowing with money, time, and coaching to help me move forward.

This past week I got to thinking that it's time to begin to let the sowing work, nurture all these investments, don't jump into anything new, and begin to witness the reaping.

I don't know much about farming but I don't think that it would work out very well if the farmer just kept planting seeds without letting the ones he had already planted have a chance to grow first.  That's how I act a lot of the time.  If I'm not complaining about things not growing fast enough, then I'm complaining that it's not working and I need to do more.  (That's the old Legalistic Mindset)

I've signed up for a  year long Business program that I know is going to launch me to the next level.  Investing in this program means that I don't need to run around to everybody else's seminar trying to gain more knowledge.  I have to put what I learn in this program into ACTION and reap the benefits.

Upgrading the Personal Side of things

You know my word for 2018

When it comes to my Personal Life, I've also invested in help because my behavior hasn't been acceptable and neither is my attitude toward men.

 I have made a lot of progress so far and I've got some things that I'm focusing on for 2018 like not being so suspicious and protecting myself from being taken advantage of.

I attended a  negotiation workshop and realized that I am always trying to play offense have built up  because I don't want the other person to have the upper hand.  These feelings didn't come out of nowhere. 

Growing up I saw naive and gullible people fall victim to men who are con artists and rolling stones and I vowed that would never happen to me.  Sadly what has ended up happening is that I am distrustful of men and assume they're trying to pull one over on me so I want to be in control of everything and I also don't want to get too close because I don't want to give anyone the opportunity to leave my life in shambles. 

This isn't the right attitude and instead I am focused on appreciating, showing gratitude, and honoring people whether it's my clients or anybody else I cross paths with.

I am also working on being more appreciative and acknowledging of men. In my world I didn't see much use for men.  If anything, what I saw was men dragging women down so I vowed that wouldn't happen to me either and that created this mindset where I saw men as useless for the most part. 

I am working through all of this and so I believe that I by sowing into coaching, teaching, prayer, and nurturing action that I will reap a better attitude.

FOCUS, Stand still, and stay Calm

It is hard not to get discouraged when not much seems to be changing.

Of course I know it is...Revenues have grown by 30%, Got my Health in Order, and not only am I self aware of my behavior I've enlisted help to change it and taking action on it.

However it does get discouraging when things aren't moving as quickly as I would like.

Today I was thinking about how I have so much faith in some areas and in other areas, we're doing great if I have mustard seed faith on Tuesdays.  

Right when I was writing that, I pressed shuffle and my new Favorite Worship Song came on:  Do it Again.  This is my Favorite Line:

I've seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I'll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I'll see You do it again 

It's true.  Everything that has happened up to this moment is because God moved mountains and he made a way when really there was no way.  There's no way I should have gone to the college I went to and barely had to pay anything until I got out. 

There's no way I should be hooking up with a business coach who I really can't afford on paper but somehow not only am I affording it but paying in cash.

Then today in worship at Shiloh Church Pastor Javier quoted this scripture which I remember way back in the earlier days of This Sacred Journey.  Search on the Blog and you'll find where I referenced it.  I forgot about that until today.

13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again

And here's my favorite part.  It's almost like Pastor Javier was talking to me this morning. 

 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

and if I could add on to that...it would be to focus on your own task at hand.