Thankful Thursday: Focus

Today I am thankful for having focus….

Life with MS can be difficult – not usually physically for me but mentally.  Focus is defined as “a center of activity, attraction“. On any given day brain fog makes focusing on anything next to impossible.

Since stopping my Co-paxone (the doctor said it wasn’t helping with the change in diagnosis), I find I am having more days where I can focus.  On those days Negative Nellie and Doubtful Debbie pay a visit and I don’t need to tell you what happens then.  A mini-pity party starts and NOTHING gets done.

Some days, I loose focus because I try to get too much done in one day.  Sometimes I just wake up in a fog.  I keep a list in my planner and am grateful I am able to tick off more things getting done.  I love seeing the pink highlighter line meaning I have completed a task.  Some days I squirrel.  Yup, I have a plan and then get side tracked by something else.  Now, it could be something which also needs to be done BUT instead of being grateful to get another task done,  I look at the fact I am behind schedule.  Tell me I am not alone, right?

I listened to a John Maxwell program where Les Brown talked about focusing on what we have and not what we don’t have.  When we do this, we will get more done.  WOW!  What a way to change perspective.  Instead of thinking about all of the things I don’t get done and how behind I am – cleaning, errands, making phone calls, creating new angels, shipping orders, following up with customers, etc. You get the picture right?

I need to STOP and think… I am blessed to have customers to call, people who want to place orders, the ability to create things and a space to do all of this in.  The truth is the more I focus on the negative, the worse things get.  So I have asked Negative Nellie and Doubtful Debbie to leave. I am ready to restart my day with a change in my focus.

I never lose sight of my overall goals but when I focus on what I don’t have versus what I do have, they seem unattainable.  Life may toss you a load of lemons but it is what you do with them that makes the difference.  Will you make lemonade and share with everyone or will you grumble about the fact that it takes too much time and energy to make the lemonade?

What are you focusing on this morning – what you have or what you don’t?  Change your focus and see what happens.

Have a blessed day!

 

Focus

This morning my minute from John Maxwell word was “FOCUS” with his guest Les Brown.  For those of you who have never heard John Maxwell, this is a great start to the morning.  Each day, he or his guest choose one word and share perils of wisdom.  I look forward to them because they are usually something that I need to hear.

Today was one of those days.  I don’t know about you but I tend to loose focus then time management becomes a problem. Negative Nellie and Doubtful Debbie pay a visit and I don’t need to tell you what happens then.  I was on the border this morning – you know that kind of morning when you have a plan in place and then you get side tracked by something else.  I was set to come to the office and work diligently when I noticed the bathroom needed to be cleaned.  So I stopped, cleaned it and then went for coffee and the office.  A slight detour but I had been saying I was going to do it for two days – now it is done.  So instead of looking at what I had accomplished, I was looking at the fact that I was behind in my schedule.

As I listened to Les Brown, he  talked about focusing on what we have and not what we don’t have – we will get more done.  WOW!  What a way to change my perspective this morning.  I came down to my office this morning thinking about all of the things that I didn’t get done and how behind I was in making calls, following up with customers, okay, you get the picture right?  Then this message made me stop and think… I am blessed to have customers to call, people who want to have parties and an amazing new computer with a new lightening speed router.  Yes, there are bills to pay.  Yes, parties postponed which change “my plan” for earning the company’s latest incentive.  The truth is the more that I focus on the negative, the worse things get.  So I have asked Negative Nellie and Doubtful Debbie to leave and I am ready to restart my day with a change in my focus.

I have never lost sight of my overall goals but when I focus on what I don’t have versus what I do have, they seem unattainable.  Life may toss you a load of lemons but it is what you do with them that makes the difference.  Will you make lemonade and share with everyone or will you grumble about the fact that it takes too much time and energy to make the lemonade?

What are you focusing on this morning – what you have or what you don’t?  Change your focus and see what happens.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

#hope