Change your focus!

Today I’m sharing a story on changing your focus from a good friend, Karen.  Maybe you can relate to her and the season of life she is in.  She shares some great reminders and ways to refocus when life seems to be limiting, scary, or you feel stuck.  Karen can be found at http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/.  She expresses her gifts beautifully in crochet and other creative projects.

Let’s be honest about limitations. Real physical limitations. Limits on what you can and can’t do. Real limits that are placed on your body that keep you from doing what you want.  There are ways around almost all limitations, workarounds as my husband calls them or do you need to just change your focus.

Limitations

What are your limitations?

What is keeping you from doing what you most want to do?

Is it ….

Fear?

Is it money, too much, or a lack of money?

Is it time?

Do you have too many pulls on your time?

Are your limitations in your mind crowding out thoughts of everything else? An addiction? Lack of boundaries with the people in your life?

Are you thinking, “I just can’t do this?” I know nothing about ____ and fill in the blank with whatever it is at the moment.

Jump In

I remember one time when of middle school age and on a float trip down the Colorado River. At that time there was a cliff that felt about 25 feet high. People rafting the river would jump off the cliff into the river. Friends being what they are, often encourage us to do things they would not themselves do.  I jumped, and yes it was terribly frightening and exhilarating.  If memory is right, I was the only one to jump that day besides the guides. I was the one with an incredible story. Why did I jump? Well, the guide showed me it was safe, and I was wearing a life jacket so I wouldn’t drown. I wasn’t diving, I was jumping feet first. The point is that I had run through some safety checks in my mind. I had reached a point where I was either going to do it or not do it.

In our lives and businesses we sometimes reach a point where we have to say, “I am going to do it despite the limitations.”  I have done the research, I can never know all the little details unless I just go for it. I need to take the chance and try. The only real way to fail is to stop trying, stop reaching, stop living because of limitations. Everyone has limitations at some point in their life. The real question becomes, “What are you going to do about it? How are you going to reach around the limitation to do what you feel called to do or be?”

Real strength comes from our weaknesses. They mold us and change us. They give us something to fight against, which builds strength or changes our direction to give us focus.

Are you focused on your limitations or seeing past it and finding the workarounds?

Focus

Where is your focus? On the problem or on the solution or the one who knows the solution.  I have had my focus on the problems and limitations in my life the past few months and it has just overwhelmed me. I recently had surgery. It seems that every surgery I have, (and I have had many) increases the number and size of my limitations. I have been mourning the loss of my mobility, the increased pain, the flaring of arthritis. Today, just for today I choose to look past them to see Christ, his grace and love for me. I choose to do life scared; much the way I jumped off that cliff. I choose to move forward and pick up the threads of life again after surgery, to do what I can when I can, where I can.

These are my choices. What are yours?

Talk to you later,

Karen

P.S.  Normally I write about crocheting but just today I needed to remind myself to focus on the future and not grieve what I cannot change, to be strong and courageous in Christ.

Be sure to comment below to express your appreciation for Karen sharing!  And remember to visit her at http://www.chocolatedogstudio.com/.