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It is an important principle of success to focus more on your goal than the obstacles that come against you, or even the steps to achieve it. 

(This is Part 2 of a two part post in which we’ll cover quotes from historical figures on goal focus as well as how  focus affects your spiritual goals.  Part 1 of this post covered reasons, results, and benefits of focusing on your goal. If you missed Part 1 of this post, please click here to read Part 1 now.)

Famous literary authors have encouraged people through generations to “focus on the goal.”

Though Ralph Waldo Emerson is well-known for his quote, “Life is a journey, not a destination,” encouraging people to enjoy each day of life as opposed to only allowing oneself to enjoy achievements, he also promoted keeping one’s destination in view.

To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Orison Swett Marden, known for his philosophies on one’s thoughts influencing  life and circumstances, pointed out the determining factor in the success of focusing on the goal:

We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

An important principle of success is staying more focused on the goal than the present obstacles or even the steps to reaching it.

I was reminded of this principle while working toward the completion of all the necessary seasonal responsibilities in my garden. I have quite extensive gardens with a large variety of plants, including over 30 antique rose bushes. Though I have always enjoyed gardening, this time of year’s seasonal requirements get very overwhelming as it takes about 3 months to complete due to other life responsibilities. The care and upkeep is probably too extensive for this time in life, but, when we designed and planted it 15 years ago, it was not possible to foresee the changes in career, family responsibilities, and physical energy that would take place in the future. It is a temptation to cause myself continual displeasure by solely viewing all the tasks yet undone rather than staying focused on the end result, or enjoying the present pleasures in my garden during the process of the oiling, fertilizing, pruning, and mulching to reach the goal; my garden will become a healthy, lush one that is a delight to the eyes and a joy to share with friends and family.

Here are some results of staying more focused on the end goal than the present obstacles or process:

1. You will maintain a level emotional state of joy and fulfillment, knowing the end of the process will come; you will live the fulfillment of that goal.

2. A clearer focus of your future goals/objectives allows you to be more effective in Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

In each of us is the innate desire to live a life that we truly love.

I recently read a very valuable article which covered many essential aspects of rebuilding your life to be the healthy, effective life that you desire to live. Kim Child’s article featured quotes from 3 life coach experts, footnoted below, to explain how to make lasting changes for a life that you will love. She discovered most effective life makeovers involve starting with (a) small steps, (b) setting boundaries, and (c) reaching out for support. Here are excerpts from the main points in Ms. Child’s article:

First, look at what is already working well in your life.

Even when a person feels like everything in his life must be changed, usually there are some things that are working well which should be noted and appreciated. Life coach Victoria Moran suggests to list 10 things for which you are grateful about in your life each morning before getting out of bed.(1)

Second, take time for prayer, meditation, and/or journaling before the day’s agenda begins.

This is essential to craft a health lifestyle and stay centered [on what is healthful, best, and important] in the midst of change Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Why does divine revelation appear not to happen for you or others you know?

There are enough hoaxes and error in society to make a person question as to whether or not God really speaks to mankind.  Usually, it does not appear to happen to people we know.  (This is Part 2 of a 2 part post.  If you missed Part 1, please use the series link above to read Part 1 which covers why people not expect divine revelation and how Scripture says divine revelation comes. )  First, there is the point mentioned in Part 1 of this post, that if you did not realize that God speaks or reveals truths to mankind, you may have unintentionally “tuned out” the thoughts, not realizing that they were from God, thinking they were just random thoughts of your own.

Second, there is the aspect of expectation. In the very first quote of this post from Ps. 146:5, it says that the God of special revelation is the help of those whose hope or expectation is in God; in other words, a special revelation of help  comes to the person who is expecting it. This is in agreement with a main concept Jesus taught, that “According to your faith it will be done to you (Mt. 9:29).” As in the philosophy of the Law of Attraction, if you are not expecting something good, you will not be aware of the opportunities when they become available. In this case, if you are not expecting God to speak, you would not hear direction from God because your lack of expectation keeps you from listening for it.

How do people get off track with divine revelations?

Your mind can have many Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

The amount of error and/or hoaxes seen in society by all of us are enough to make one question whether or not God speaks to mankind.

Still, the complexity of life makes a person desire someone more powerful, more knowledgeable than himself to look to, interact with, and rely on. I came across a great quote last week regarding this:

Happy, blessed, fortunate, enviable is he who has the God of special revelation for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. (Ps.146:5, Amp)

It is quite fitting, as a person would be truly happy, blessed, fortunate, and to be envied if he or she has God Almighty providing special revelations of wisdom, insight, and direction to help him/her through life. The Hebrew word here for “hope” means expectation. Not many of us can say that we live in that state, whose “expectation is in the Lord his God of special revelation.”

Why do most people not expect divine revelation?

Other than the apparent faux pas or hoaxes that bring discredit to the concept of divine revelation, the idea I heard most quoted while growing up in religious circles was this one Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

As the ideas of economic upheaval, threats of war, disease, natural disaster, or other factors beyond one’s ability vie for control of your thoughts, where is your attention?

 Fear is a major factor of everyday life in the times in which we live.  It is a force that one must come to terms with.  Fear can control one’s life, altering your every decision. It can change your health due to the stress it creates.  It can steal creativity and rational thought. It hinders spiritual receptivity.  It is a force that cannot be ignored or it will grow in control and dominate your life.

Make the decision to be in control of your thoughts.

It is vital to control your thoughts, rather than allowing them to have free, random access to your mind – the center of all your decision making.  This positive habit is referred to as “taking captive” every thought.   A simpler way to express it may be to say that whatever controls your thought life controls you. Is fear the center of your attention?

You may feel that it is necessary to fear.  With all the uncertainty with the economy, with the instability of the political world, it may give you a false sense of Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

It is a good thing, every year, to evaluate what things from the past you are still pouring energy into that never became as fruitful or beneficial as you planned.

We all have areas in our lives where, in the past, we began investing great time and energy.  We stuck with that particular thing through the years out of habit or routine.  The investment of energy became just a part of life.  You can gain greater satisfaction by freeing your life of areas that are a drain on your energy and unprofitable to your overall wellness.  The time or energy invested is truly no longer worth the value you are getting from it.

What types of things can now be unprofitable investments for your life energies?

–Sometimes there are daily or weekly habits that were a part of goals from the past that are no longer worth your energies.  Why?  You change in your desires and maturity as you age.  Certain things that were goals are no longer Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

There is a simple principle to increase the ability to hear with your spirit. First, however, let’s look at God’s promises to speak both wisdom and direction to us.

(This is an unusual post, but I think you’ll enjoy it.) People often ask me how to hear from God. They want help and direction for their decisions. They desire wisdom and success for their lives. God has promised both:

If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of ]the giving God, Who gives to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given you. Jm. 1:5 Amp

God will give us wisdom liberally regardless of our faults. He obviously wants us to have the benefit of His wisdom.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Is. 30:21 Amp

This is a straight forward promise of clear direction for our decisions.

Since God desires us to have the benefit both of His wisdom and clear direction, any lack of receiving it is a matter of our ability to hear it.

Just as with a pet learning the voice of its new master, we learn to hear God’s voice to our spirits through a simple process of repetition.

In helping people understand how to hear the voice of God in their spirits, I have used the illustration of a lost pet recognizing its owner. The organization which has the lost pet can easily tell if a person is the owner of that pet because the pet will instantly Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Whenever you set goals, the manifestation of the best goals-your goals for the ultimate restoration of your life-are achieved through a very common process: writing it out!

I recently mentioned to a friend about a common denominator that I came across while studying the success stories of people whose lives had endured complete collapse financially, physically, and career-wise. The recovery or life restoration of every person I have studied, both in the secular and religious worlds, resulted from a commitment to writing out a clear list of life goals. It sounds so simple. In many ways, it is. Yet it is absolutely vital to seeing the manifestation of your restoration. Whether the purpose of your goal setting is the complete restoration of a collapsed life, the reaching of some childhood dreams, or accomplishing your destiny, a clearly written list is still an absolute necessity.

This practical illustration reveals why the manifestation of your goals must go beyond just visualization.

Many people have probably seen the photos of the beach communities in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina. The devastation looked must like that of an earthquake. Nothing could be seen for miles except complete rubble. Among those people who lost their homes, there was bound to be at least one architect or contractor.

An expert home builder may know all that there is to build himself a new home, but he will never begin the rebuilding without “writing it out,” without a blueprint. An expert builder who lost his home in that disaster may be able to see the image in his mind of the new home for the rebuilding, but he will not rebuild without Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

As you solidify your vision for the New Year, improve life by including the concept of simplicity!

With the New Year comes new hopes, new visions for reaching goals and dreams with regard to health, family, career, finances, spiritual life, and self-improvement.  As mentioned a few weeks ago, even vacation can be a goal in the New Year for the self-employed business person.  As I have begun pondering my own goals for the New Year, a recurring theme has surfaced from a variety of sources, that of greater joy through simplicity.

Here are 7 ways to improve your life and joy in the New Year by implementing simplicity:

1.  When considering goals, purchases, acquisition, consider the level of ongoing maintenance.

Before you set your sights on any additions to your life in the New Year, consider the level of responsibility involved.  Pretty much everything in life takes maintenance and maintenance takes both money and time.  If you desire to add any possession to your household, do you actually want to deduct from other areas of your life the additional finances and time it will take to maintain it?  For example, if you wanted a swimming pool for the family or a boat for recreation, it takes both time and funds to maintain it.  Consider, would you actually be happier putting the maintenance time into family time or personal time?  Would you be happier having the money used to maintain the item to be available for smaller joys all year through?  The example is of a larger acquisition, but the same principle applies to Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

You can gain greater satisfaction by freeing your life of areas that are a drain on your energy and unprofitable to your overall wellness.

We all have areas in our lives where, in the past, we began investing great time and energy. We stuck with that particular thing through the years out of habit or routine. The investment of energy became just a part of life. It is a good thing, every year, to evaluate what things from the past you are still pouring energy into that never became fruitful or beneficial as you planned. The time or energy invested is truly no longer worth the value you are getting from it.

What types of things can now be unprofitable investments for your life energies?

–Sometimes there are daily or weekly habits that were a part of goals from the past that are no longer worth your energies. Why? You change in your desires and maturity as you age. Certain things that were goals are no longer of importance to you. Is there anything like that in your life? Free up that time and energy for new goals that fit with the person you are now.

–There are often projects in which we have been investing time, energy, and finances which are no longer Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Leisurely

If you are a giver and your giving has left yourself in need, it is time to re-prioritize.

In actuality, all the people you love, those that you have expended yourself to help and sacrificed your own well-being, will be better off after you re-focus on self help! This article by fellow SelfGrowth.com professional, Lori Snyder, covers 10 basic steps for getting back to daily care for yourself.

Lori admits that she herself was so busy with everyone else’s needs that she sidelined her own needs, only to discover that the reality was, by neglecting her own needs and not meeting them first, she was not able to give her best to those she loves. These are brief excerpts from Ms. Snyder’s article. Use the link in the footnote below to read the full article.

1. Start each day filled with gratitude for all that you are…Appreciate the beauty all around you. [I would suggest, at the beginning, to make a list of self appreciation points. If you’ve neglected yourself for a long time, it will be difficult at the beginning to really focus on your own value.]

2. Count your blessings for the people who you love and who love you…They all come, and some go, for a reason.

3. Take a moment of silence for yourself to meditate, and think about what your needs of the day are, and what you would like to accomplish.

4. Be mindful of your health, and incorporate a wellness schedule into your week. Exercise, eat healthy, get enough rest.

5. Look at your goals sheet quickly each week, and evaluate how you are doing with them. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Gratifying

Each of us desires a long, abundant life with our loved ones. Yet, do your daily decisions work for or against that desire?

These past 2 months have been one of those seasons of life that come to all of us. Tomorrow is a funeral for a friend that died suddenly and unexpectedly. Another friend has been in ICU for weeks. The first person had lived a life that was very abusive to his physical health for years, having just made a change in the recent past. The other friend has lived the more typical unhealthy life of too many sodas and mostly processed foods. She has had many health issues that have drastically affected her family and friends for the whole past year and has now been in ICU for a good part of 2 months. She almost died a couple of weeks ago and still has life-threatening issues going on. Both should have had a good 20 to 30 more years of living an abundant life, loving life and loving family, but the choice of poor daily health habits stole the precious gift of long abundant life not only from them, but from their friends and families.

We need to be reminded of how essential the little daily choices regarding health-food, sleep, exercise-are truly the ultimate decision for a long life.

Every day that you get up, you make seemingly insignificant choices regarding what you eat, whether or not you skip exercise, how you deal with stress, if you get enough sleep. These decisions come so frequently that one usually makes them almost without thinking. Each little decision not to do what is beneficial to your physical health is, in actuality, a decision of whether or not to embrace a long abundant life, with time to live life, enjoying and loving your family and friends, and giving them the gift of that time to love you and enjoy your presence on this earth. Isn’t that what each of us want? Yet it seems so easy to choose otherwise. There is a quote worth remembering, Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Leisurely

Everyone desires to be in better control of achieving the life they desire.

I recently read a post by one of my favorite bloggers, Susan Hanshaw of Sanctuary for Change. Susan just turned 50 and did some re-evaluation which resulted in the realization that she wanted a different level of control in her life now than what she had experienced during her first 50 years.

Here is an excerpt from her post on “How to Take Control of Your Life” with 5 points to make you more effective in that area.

Use the link below to read Susan’s full post:

I pretty much let the energy of life pull me along for my first 50 years…Now I am feeling a lot more motivated to step in and take control. 

How do you take control of your life?

1. Acknowledge that your life needs the same kind of planning that you give your weekends. We all have a lot more power to create awesome lives than we recognize. It starts with direction.
2. Set aside time to focus on what you want to create with your life. Let dreams be born and believed in.
3. Begin every day focused on your vision. Recognize that your attention fuels whatever you focus on. Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »

Reading Level: Gratifying

Expectation plays a large part in what takes place in your life.

Your expectations are important. Expectation affects your emotions as well as your responses to both people and circumstances. (This is Part 2 on Fear. If you missed the first post, “Is Fear the Center of Your Attention?,” please use this link to read it first.) It is easy to understand that if you are “expecting” a situation to go badly or “expecting” a person to respond to you negatively, you yourself will not speak or behave in the same positive manner as when you are anticipating good. This is how a person, by living according to fears, actually triggers situations to turn out poorly or people to respond to him negatively without even realizing his influence.

Mark Twain said,

I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.

Most of our fearful expectations never take place; however, the consequences of those fearful expectations in one’s physical health, relationships, and reactions to situations still produce negative effects that would not have been there if one was not expecting bad to happen.

When feeling the tendency to fear and expect negative outcomes, choose instead to focus your attention on good possibilities.

If your fearful expectations cause you to interact in a negative way with people and circumstances, then creating less than favorable results, Immerse Yourself in the Full Healing Contemplation Here »