40 Days of Focus

Many of us have probably heard the statistic that families spend more time preparing for their summer vacations, than for their retirement. I have not been able to prove this, but the message is clear. If you want to reach a specific destination, you have to have a plan to get there.


Ask my wife, and she will tell you, that when it comes to trips, I am officially the “map” man. Before we leave the driveway, I know our destination(s), the distance between places, the best routes to take, rest stops with the best gas prices (with mile markers). I can tell you how much we’ll pay in tolls, our estimated time to arrival as well as gas mileage. I usually will take with us several maps, clearly laid out and ready for quick reference on the road. My wife has taken some of the fun out of it by giving me a GPS last Father’s Day. As if I need a computer to tell me I am on an unassumed road!


Some of you might get a chuckle out of this, but I am illustrating an important process that many of us neglect to follow in order to achieve great things in life. The very first step we obviously make is identifying what it is we want. Oftentimes we stop right there dismissing the idea when we consider it too large of an undertaking to achieve. Others of us begin to ask questions and begin to consider the steps to achieving a particular goal. Once we have identified our goals and have a passion to pursue them, we must create a process to accomplish them.


Every goal I have accomplished in my life has started with writing it down. It is so simple but it can not be overemphasized. If you don’t write it down there is a significantly less chance that you will accomplish it. Once it is written down, you can incubate that goal, asking yourselves several questions. What are the steps that I will need to take to accomplish this. Who are the people that will be needed to help me?What material resources will I need? What is my time- frame? What do I do if I fail in one of the steps?


These are important probing questions that help to give you traction in helping you achieve your goals. Your greatest resource, in my opinion, is a person who has accomplished your goal, with whom you have contact with. They will be able to share with you how they did it and perhaps give you a blueprint to see it successful. Use the internet, do your homework, and establish a plan with a potential timeline that will bring your goal to you. Once you you’re your plan, execute it and constantly evaluate it, modifying it as you move along. There is no such thing as a fool-proof plan, there are only fools who don’t follow a plan. Without taking these steps your goals will always be before you, an illusion, but never a reality.

TASKS

Complete your goal chart – If you are new to this process, for the context of forty days, pick several goals that you can measure and see significant results in this time horizon. I suggest behavioral habits, pertaining to exercise, eating, and personal devotions with God. I would also offer up some relational goals with your spouse and/ or family. You may have professional goals, pertaining to performance or areas of weakness you are seeking to overcome. Be sure to have something to celebrate with accomplishing when our forty day journey ends.

STRATEGY

If you can get your Goal chart done today, I would check this off too.

RESULTS

You completed your goal chart right! That is a great accomplishment. Tel yourself “I am one day closer to accomplishing my goal(s).”


Today's Scrtipture Verse:

Luke 14:28-30 28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' NIV

Why is it that we as humans are so resistant to change? I have often asked myself this question. Oftentimes my rationale will convince me that engaging in a new endeavor, acquiring a new skill, or even ceasing an existing behavior will be a benefit to me, and perhaps to those around me. In the process I find a wall of resistance that keeps me from moving towards those goals which would result in those benefits. What is my problem?

I have experienced that in order for a change to occur; there is an exchange that must take place. For every new thing that you wish to acquire, there is a price that must be paid. Oftentimes to acquire a new skill, or master a new discipline, it requires work. Work in many forms has an emotional element to it, which we can associate as “pain.”

What is pain? By definition, according to Merriam-Webster:

2 a: usu. localized physical suffering associated with bodily disorder (as a disease or an injury) ; also : a basic bodily sensation induced by a noxious stimulus, received by naked nerve endings, characterized by physical discomfort (as pricking, throbbing, or aching), and typically leading to evasive action b: acute mental or emotional distress or suffering : grief3plural : the throes of childbirth4plural : trouble, care, or effort taken to accomplish something

I am certain that the very mention of this topic conjures up recollections in you of times in your life, where you experienced pain in the process of change. I have discovered that no change of value occurs without pain. The trouble is that for many of us the pain of change can prevent us from taking the journey. We know the change will be good for us; a new exercise regimen, diet, pursuit of higher education, learning to play an instrument, but the pain of the work associated with it can hinder us from accomplishing it.

So how do we face change? I submit to you that we embrace change when the pain of our present circumstances overrides the real or perceived pain experienced through the process of change that will positively affect our circumstances.

In an attempt to break this down, we each experience pain at times in our lives, as a result of decisions that we have made, or uncontrolled circumstances. In many, but not all cases, we have an opportunity to alleviate that pain through change. The pain of that change is real, but it is overridden by the pain of what we are experiencing at the moment. We discover that the pain of our present can be an effective motivator to move us to change which can result in moving us to a future where that pain is removed.

I share all this with you, because this 40 days of Focus is all about change. Change is hard work, with an emotional component to it. We need to recognize it and be able to overcome the obstacles that stand before us. For many of us, the changes we are seeking to make do not have a significant pain element to them. Instead our focus needs to be to recognize the benefits we will experience as a result of the changes we are making, and use them as a focus point to override the perceived or real pain we will experience as a result of making our changes. As we do this, we will become more immune of the thoughts of quitting the process, because of the pain we may encounter.

TASKS:

Write down specific areas in your life that you want to see change in.
Identify from those areas of change, which you can do something to make it happen.
Identify the areas of change that need the assistance of others to make it happen.
Identify the areas of change that can only be accomplished through the Power of God at work in your life.

STRATEGY:

Begin to write down ways in which you believe will bring the results you are looking for.
Identify the things that you must do to make them happen.
Identify the things that others must do.
Identify the things that God must do.

RESULTS:

The results of change can only manifest if you purpose to embrace the process. Begin today with what you can do achieve your results. I encourage you to pray for the individuals or groups of people that will assist you in achieving your results. Pray also for God’s grace, in equipping you with the resources and making provision to make manifest the results that you are seeking to achieve.

Today's Scripture Verse:

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV

"Brutal Facts." I am reminded today of the pages of a book I read a few years ago by Jim Collins. In the book "Good to Great", in one of the early chapters of the book, it was discovered that consistently, the world's greatest companies had an ability to take the time to confront the "brutal" facts of the world around them.

Can you imagine where IBM would be today, if their business could not accept the fact in the 1970's that typewriters were going to be replaced with personal computers? I use this illustration because I am certain that having this discussion within a business who makes it's money on typewriters would not be very encouraging. To even question the possibility of another alternative to their main business line, would force them to look into the future at a world that did not need IBM, unless they changed.

And changed they did, but not until they first had the courage to face up to the brutal facts of the world around them. Going back to the book I first mentioned, I would like to submit a quotation,

"When you start with an honest and diligent effort to determine the truth of your situation, the right decisions often become self-evident. It is impossible to make good decisions without infusing the entire process with an honest confrontation of the brutal facts."(88)

The first place we must begin on our forty day focus journey is being real with ourselves. I caution against self-condemnation however. We need to be able to look ourselves in the mirror and be able to objectively see what is there. It is at this place that we can take inventory of where we are, providing us with a starting point of where we want to go. Being honest helps you in making decisions that will enable you to arrive at the place that your heart is yearning for.

TASKS:

Needs Assessment:

Do you have weaknesses? What are they. Think of just one, that if you mastered it, it would change your life forever. Where do you desire to grow? What is longing deep within your heart. Take time to search for it, pull it out and put it on paper. What is God saying you need to develop? Most of us are surprised when we find out we are much harder on ourselves than God is. (This is probably why we were asked to identify our weaknesses first).

STRATEGY:

What are the action step(s) that you need to take in order to see you achieve your goals?

One area I am developing is getting up an hour before my normal wake-up time. This is difficult for a guy who in not a morning person, but I will put that time to use in a way that will help me achieve some personal goals.

RESULTS:

Look for something measurable. For me, when I run or bike, I simply enjoy the wind rushing past me. I celebrate the accomplishment of the run/bike when it is done, but I experience joy in the journey. As you get out of the gate on you 40 Days of Focus, look for results as simple as, "I wasn't where I was when I started out this morning." We can grow from there.

Today's Scripture Verse:

Jer. 29:11-12

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. NKJV

Citation

We had a fantastic time together this past weekend during the Focus Fulfilled Seminar with Ed & Cindy Turose. I was amazed at the insight and testimonies that were presented. I was also blown away with several testimonies of God's breakthrough in the lives of those who attended, hours after the event ended.

It is now time for us to embark on a journey together. "40 Days of Focus", if you are willing to do it begins now! For the next forty days, I will be contributing to this blog insights and journal entries from my own 40 day focus process.

I believe one of the greatest keys to success in any endeavour is accountability. For some of us, this comes easier than for others. But I look at this blog as an opportunity for each of us who are willing to participate, to be an encouragement to one another to see real change in our lives for the glory of God.

I look forward to what the next forty days will bring as a result of our efforts, and obedience to God's will for our lives. Let us embrace our destiny together, as we take steps to take hold of God's promises for our lives.

I can remember when I graduated from high school and my father sat me down to talk with me about my future and the decisions I would be faced with. I am appreciative of the fact that I had a dad who wasn't interested in telling me what he wanted me to do. Instead he desired to empower me with the ability to make my own choices. He shared with me these important words. "At this time in your life, for every door of opporunity that you open and walk into, you are going to close a thousand others." My dad's intention of saying this wasn't to limit my potential, but to clearly illustrate the power of our choices, and saying yes to one things, means I have to say no to a thousand other things.

My fireside chat with my dad, one of among many, helped me to understand that I must take seriously the choices that I make. Understand the consequences of that choice, both the good and the bad, then make a decision. When you make a choice to go forward with something. Don't hesitate or look back. Move forward toward the goal you have set to achieve.

Making good choices and setting goals is no easy job. The only way you become good at it is through practice. It is also helpful to have people around you in life that can coach you in the process. Another of my father's axiom's is "My role as a father is not to prevent you from making mistakes. Only to keep you from making the same mistakes that I made."

Our relationship plays a paramount role in this area of our lives, because each of us as believers must come to a plac ein our relationship with God where we are willing to surrender ourselves to Him. To say as Jesus did, "Not my will, but yours be done." When we come to that revelation, and place of obedience, God is able to reveal to us, his purpose and direction for our life. The choices we make are acts of obedience to His will in our lives.

There is no shortage of achievement in the world that we live in. In today's culture, people race against one another chasing after illusions of success and significance. For many, they spend their entire lives climbing up the ladder, only to discover that when they get high enough up the ladder to look around, they discover they are leaning against the wrong wall.

In order to focus effectively, the first question we must ask is, "Are we focusing on the thing(s) God desires me to focus on?" When Elijah, approached Elisha, instructing him to follow him, Elisha quickly liquidated the assets of his business, said goodbye to his family, and focused himself obediently to God's direction for his life. The Bible is full of examples of obedience, where both men and women lay down their own personal ambitions, to fulfill God's purpose for their life.

What we focus on, is as important as how we focus to achieve it.

Discussion points?

Have you ever focused on things that were not Gods plan for your life?

Can you describe the tension that is felt when God brings you to a place where He asks you to lay down something of yourself in order to take hold of his purpose for you?

What areas of your life has God asked you to focus on?

What plans are you making to accomplish those areas of focus?

In our modern culture, we are consistently bombarded with distractions. We have television, internet, cell phones, smart phones, radios, mp3 players, and a myriad of other information driven media bombarding us from all directions.

Many of us have been taught in our 21st century information-overloaded culture to embrace this phenomenon by multi-tasking. In a day where our smart phones can calculate at exponentially higher rates of speed than our mental capacities, we are required to function in similar form. The result many of us find is this - a lot of work, with very little results.

History records the world's greatest achievers. If you study them carefully, they all have one distinct characteristic, FOCUS.

I personally love the story of Coach Herb Brooks. If any of you have seen the movie "Miracle", it recounts the story of Herb and his 1980 USA Olympic Hockey team and their journey to the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid New York. The story begins with a discussion with Herb interviewing for the coaching job with the Olympic commitee. Herb clearly articulates his goal if he were given the job. To beat the Soviet Union hockey team in the Olympic games, a feat that had not been done since 1960. The rest of the movie is a chronology of the calculated steps Herb makes in taking a young group of hockey players from all across the nation, and building a team that is capable of achieving the very goal Herb sets out to accomplish. This movie clearly portrays that amount of focus, determination, as well as the discipline Herb has to focus on this specific goal. My favorite part in the movie comes at the end when, after the USA defeat the Soviet team, Herb leaves the main area, and walks to a lonely place in one of the thin halls of the complex. There you watch as Herb raises clenched hands as he physically expresses his triumph. You visually witness nearly a year of focused emotion and energy, released at one moment. That is the power of FOCUS.

It is important for us to recognize the value of being able to do multiple things at once. But everything that we do that becomes valuable in our life, is a result of focus, persistent, work, growth and determination to achieve specific goals. That is why it is so important that we evaluate areas in our life that may be a distraction (the things that keep us from achieving our goals), and be willing to apply discipline in our lives to set those things aside, because they hinder us from reaching our destination.

Mark 4:13-20
And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." NKJV

The word of God demonstrates that distractions are an issue that transcend time, culture, or geography. We will be looking at what should we focus us in our next entry, but take time to consider and comment on:

Are you easily distracted?

What are the things that easily distract you?

What can you do limit or remove those distractions?

Can distractions be healthy?

What might be some ideas to help you focus on your goals?