Maintain your focus to reach your purpose 鈥� plan
The third tool in our perseverance toolbox is the Plan. We first discussed the power of a positive perspective and then we learned about the will to push back. Today we are going to explore how effective planning, combined with the former tools can help you tap into your super power of perseverance.
Looking at your life as it is right now, would you say that you live life intentionally? In other words, what do you do each day to make sure that you get the most out of each day? Each week? Each month? And so on? Now, I completely understand how the chores of life can overwhelm our schedules. But I want to remind you that many things we tell ourselves are “have-tos” are actually “want-tos” or “choose-tos.” You choose to have your child enrolled in 4 sports at the same time, when 1 or 2 sports in a given season are more than enough. You choose to work 12 hour (if not required by employer) days when your job can be completed in less time if you worked more efficiently. You choose to live in debt because you refuse to spend less so that you can enjoy your life more, not work as much, and not stress over your finances. I’m sure that you’d argue, many of these “choices” just happened over time. This may be true; but it does not excuse you from living in the consequences of those choices. Too often, we allow the daily tasks of life to get in the way of the real work God has called us to do. We allow the “want-tos” and the “choose-tos” to become our “must-dos.” What in your life can you eliminate (or limit the amount of time that you devote to it) from your schedule so that your time is better/best spent living intentionally?
Sometimes we simply stretch ourselves so thin that we forget to focus; or we fear if we focus in on one thing or follow through with one idea, we may lose our ground or time to implement the 1000s of other ideas we want to achieve or “must-dos” we need to complete. But my friends, if we don’t take time to focus, to intentionally plan and to execute the plan, we won’t have to worry about the ideas that are in our mind or the “must-dos” that are on our daily lists. We will be too busy cleaning up the mess from the work that we only started, never completed, or put forth little effort to do well. Esteemed author and pastor, Rick Warren says, “don’t waste first class energy on second class causes.” Ouch. How much energy are you wasting? How much energy are you pouring into things that really won’t or don’t matter much? How can we re-invest that energy into what actually does matter?
When I was regularly teaching at the university, I used to ask my students, “do you want to be a 5-star resort that has 10 half stars? Or a 5-star resort with 5 full stars?” The point of my remark was to illustrate that he/she could be great at five things or they could be just OK at 10 things. Although in theory it “evens out” to the same total, in reality the person who did five things really well was a better performer overall. Do you want to be a five star resort? What five things can you commit to doing really well?
So how do we overcome the crazy chaos of our lives? How do we forbid the mundane from driving our daily tasks and live life more intentionally? Where do we even begin? I am glad that you asked.
First, you outline your goals. Step 1 is to take inventory about your life thus far. Write your story. You can write a list of moments — positive and negative. On the other hand, maybe you would rather write a summary paragraph about your life thus far. However, you want to write it down
Step number two is to consider whether your life is all that you want it to be right now. For most of us (it should be all of us — because we are always growing and learning), we can easily identify a few areas in our life that we want to get better, do better, be better in. Take some time to outline the next chapter of your life. What does the next 90 days look like for you? How can you live an intentional life now?
Finally, the third step is to think through how you can activate this plan. What steps can you take every day to follow through with this plan to live your better/best life? An intentional life? Write out these steps and post them in a place where you can read them every day. (An extra step is to journal your success and challenges to document your progress and keep track of your work.)
John Maxwell believes that when we start small but believe big (positive perspective), find our why (power of the push back), and live every day as if it matters (the plan), we choosing to live a life of significance. He also says, “I want to make a difference, doing something that makes a difference, with people who make a difference, at a time that makes a difference.” Isn’t that a powerful statement? But the only way we can do that, is to persevere — taking our 3 tools of positive perspective, powerful push back, and the plan to make an impact on our lives and those around us.
I dedicate today’s article to the one who helped me to persevere. Christian, you are a daily reminder of God’s love for me in this world. When days were overwhelming and my heart was breaking, God put your beautiful face in front of me to remind me that my purpose was bigger than my present. As you enter this next year of your life, I pray peace and wisdom for you my son. I pray that you will continue to walk boldly into the future God has outlined for you. Believe in your value and the value you’ve added and continue to add to this world. Keep making a difference my love. Happy Birthday!
Gina Watts is a former resident of Fayette County, now living in Columbus, Ohio. She serves multiple communities as an advocate, educator, and leader. Follow Gina on Twitter @professorgmarie.