Don't be Reactive - Focus on What’s Next

Magnify What’s Best and Focus on Your Future

Most people are busy juggling a life that includes an overwhelming amount of work, home, family, and children, as well as faith-based and community activities. Each event or activity in isolation has priority and importance, however many of us deal with colliding priorities every day. You become instantly stressed. Your competing priorities are not going away. Therefore the question becomes how can you contribute your best to every priority as well as be the best you can be!

Stop and Breathe. Not every situation or competing priority deserves crisis status. Stop… take a deep breath and think. Take an extra minute to think about what the next best step really is. When you take these few minutes to breathe and think, you will be much less reactive and much more proactive. Living in a constant reactive state reinforces feelings of frustration, self-criticism, and self-doubt. Being proactive reinforces confidence and competence.

Forget Perfection: Pursuing perfection is not an asset. Mistakes and challenges are inevitable; therefore, the pursuit of perfection only serves to focus on what did not go well or right.

However, if you give yourself permission to believe you are perfect just the way you are, you give yourself permission to focus on your strengths. Commit to always maximize your strengths and you will find the flaws slip away.

"I swing big with everything I got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can.” ~ Babe Ruth

Focus on what is next. Get out of the past and focus on the future. Learn to widen your view so you do not miss any opportunities.

Illuminating the possibilities and opportunities that abound in everyday circumstances increases your options, energizes situations, and inspires you and others.

Develop the habit of looking ahead. Where do you see yourself tomorrow, next month, or next year? All accomplishments begin with an idea, a seed, a dream. Create a Dream inventory and list all of your ideas and dreams that matter to you—no matter how extravagant or insignificant they may seem. It’s impossible to emphasize strongly enough the power of creative and uninhibited imagination. Do not let life stifle yours.

Your unlimited success depends on your ability to magnify your strengths and focus on your future. Start today!