Remaining Focused

My youngest daughter is in first grade. Earlier this school year we met with her teacher at open house night. The teacher had mainly good things to say. She said Gianna was very bright and was achieving at or even above grade level in certain areas. If there was one area of concern, it was that she sometimes lacked focus. She knew what had to be done, but sometimes focused her attention on other things, like socializing, that took her away from what she needed to be doing.

I reflected on this after the meeting. Lack of focus? My daughter? I completely believed what the teacher said. However, I was a bit surprised because I had never had issues with lack of focus. Or did I? As I thought about this more carefully I realized that, not only did I have issues with focus as a student, but I still do.

Our situations are a bit different. I am not a young student. However, I realize how much I have a tendency I have to lose focus, especially in the area of my personal goals. I know what I want and what I need to do. However, as my daughter sometimes does in school, I become distracted by other things and drift off task.

It has been 5 months since that meeting at school. The teacher says Gianna has significantly improved her focus. It seems she has realized what she needed to do and has done it. I can learn the same lesson, and have taken strides to do so. According to several of the books I have recently read, the best way to improve and maintain focus is to keep the goal firmly pressed in our minds. We need to see ourselves as the person we want to be. See ourselves accomplishing the goals we have. As we hold those thoughts in our head, we also need to take the necessary action. Even if we don't know exactly what action to take, I believe that it is when we have this focused mind set that divine guidance is most likely to arrive. When we are divinely guided, we are guaranteed to move in the right direction.

You may think this is something that is easier said than done. Admittedly, it is not easy. However, I have found that the more we practice this, the easier it gets. The more focused we are on the goals (and the more we avoid focusing on what we don't want) the more we see the desired results in our lives.

I am thankful to my first grade daughter and her teacher for bringing this to my attention. It has been a big help to me lately, and now I hope it can do the same for you.

Have an excellent day : )