Dedication and Focus

Just as always, I have so many possibilities for what to write running through my head, but one of them seems to be more prevalent than the others.  Today I want to write about dedication, and I need to do so from a very personal perspective.

We have all known people that are envious of what someone else has, but doesn’t ever seem to get anything for themselves on their own.  They aren’t lazy, they work and are able to provide for themselves, but they are always wanting.  We all have also known those people who seemingly have everything that they want.

There are many differences between these two, but one of the biggest is dedication.  Those that have are usually more focused on taking the actions necessary to get the desired ____ (insert want here) ___ .  Rather than talking about what they want, they put forth time, effort and energy into making the desire happen.  They take responsibility for achieving their goal.

I have heard (and said) many reasons for people not getting what they want:  “It’s too hard.”, “I’m too busy.”, “It’s too much work.”, “It’s too expensive.” are just a few of them.  One of the many things I have learned along my path, as I attain my goals, is that these are nothing more than excuses, mental noise from my ego trying to stop me from getting what I want.  Once I stopped listening to the noise and static, it all became small steps to the next objective.  Suddenly I found, and keep finding, that all the noise was worthless, and I was, and am, achieving my goals and am on my way to the next several.  Why should I stop now?

Along the way, some of the things I have learned are:

1.  The first step is always the hardest step.
2. “God helps those who help themselves.”  The more energy I put forth into my projects, the more help I find from unusual and unexpected sources.
3. The more you do the easier it gets.
4. There are no excuses.
5. The Rewards are always greater than you expect, and always worth the risk.
6. There is always give and take.  You may have to give up part of what you want, but what you gain in return is always worth it.
7. The first step is always the hardest.

To give you an idea of how this works, let me tell you a little bit about my story.  For the last several years I have had the worst case of writers block, and could not find a way through it.  Through several conversations with people, usually at my job (call center), many people suggested that I teach what I was talking to them about.  I wasn’t sure, wasn’t ready and still had a lot of mental noise going on.  Then, about six months ago, my husband suggested that I research a possibility for us.  About the same time, there was a major undercurrent of tension that started at the call center, and major stress started to occur, which wound up coming home. I realize that the opportunity that my husband suggested is a possibility, so I’m simultaneously researching a project and keeping my eyes and ears open for another job.  Since that time, I have started the project that my husband suggested (this blog), and found another job which is more in line with my needs.  For the new job, I do give up a night of sleep one night a week, but in return, I have more time with my husband, more time for other projects, and far less stress.  To me it was, and still is, an easy choice.

It takes dedication to practice, and focus on goals.  It also takes listening to the voice of the Spirit, and following your intuition.  But by doing both,  you can move mountains, and achieve anything.