Sometimes the issues in our lives don’t stem from bad luck or circumstances, but focus. We are taught how to focus on a goal in order to achieve it. When we’re young we’re taught to focus on one thing to get it done and to focus even more in order to do it well. Applying our intellect, our energy, our time, and our skills at problem solving allows us to succeed and excel at tasks and goals. We learn the correct behaviors to work in social networks, how to meet the expectations of others in order to get what we want, and grow into functioning members of society.
What we aren’t taught is how to apply these skills to our own lives or even that we should. Our focus is on careers, achievements, getting ahead, following a path, or even finding a passion. We apply our skills to getting through life, coping with things, dealing with what’s put in front of us. We’re taught that all the doing is meant to either be our purpose or supply us with the means to achieve our purpose in the small wedge of time in between sleeping and doing. But what if we turned our focus to creating our lives?
Changing the focus on a camera doesn’t stop it from being able to take pictures, it simply sees things differently than it did before. It’s the same with us. Changing our focus from career driven to life driven doesn’t mean we change or what we do changes, it means we see things in a different way. Changing focus changes the meaning of things. If life is our focus then that transfer to another state might not seem like the best thing even though it’s a promotion. Or that business opportunity which seemed scary and out of reach might change into exactly what we need. Changing our focus to our lives can mean choosing where we want to live rather than having the next job choose it for us. It could mean choosing different job opportunities so that we can live where and how is best for us. Changing our focus so we value the life we’re living day-to-day changes how we value things and how we choose to expend our energy. What better way to spend the day than building the life we want to live.
