"Where there is no vision, the people shall perish..."
Proverbs 29:18
However, what do you do when life begins to throw an avalanche of unexpected punches that you did not see coming after awaiting and preparing for the new year? The same applies if the circumstances that you were experiencing were going to carry forward into the new year. What do you do then?
If you have ever been in the throes of several difficult situations at the same time, the experience leaves a lasting imprint. Call it life's "unexpected hard hits." The jabs you just did not see coming. No matter how hard you tried, worked or remained vigilant to chart your course in pursuit of your goals, something appeared to block that path. The 3 D's: derail, detour and deny. Sometimes if you are not careful, the familiar coat of defeat is placed back on your shoulders. This old coat has deep pockets that can carry tattered papers, each labeled as anger, frustration, disappointment and if you are not careful, even a dose of depression. I believe that when this coat is worn for an extended period of time, your soul begins the grieving process for you. Your soul knows what you were sent here to be, to accomplish, your mission as some teachers may label. The good news is that while the soul is grieving, it also knows how to heal the unexpected wrongs. This is where we must be careful and become the observer of your person and your surroundings. If the disappointment lingers too long, the negative energy can stick to your person creating a feeling of apathy.
"If you remain indifferent in time of adversity,
your strength will depart from you."
Proverbs 24:10
A derailment designated to teach you a life lesson or keeping you in place until it is your turn to accomplish the assigned goal can easily turn into an extended detour that was not meant to linger if we are not careful to perceive it as something that is meant to be confronted.
So what to do about this grieving soul? The inner spirit of your person that only wants the best for you while you travel this earth, requires your loving attention. The keyword here is loving. Have you loved yourself enough to take care of yourself during these times? This is often a challenging question to confront, especially if you are the one that has nurtured and taken care of everyone and everything with often nothing left for you. This may sound selfish, but it is NOT the right thing to do. You see, feelings of hurt, resentment, frustration, and disappointment that are not quickly dealt with can turn over time into a rage or uncontrolled outbursts that when they happen in an inappropriate setting you are left asking yourself why you said the things you did or acted in the way you know you would never behave. Life speaks through your experiences. These occurrences are life indicators that alert your inner spirit to know that your world within is not right.
"As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul."
Hermes Trismegistus
So here is a question for you, a question that I have been pondering for several weeks. Do you lose your focus when life's challenges arise? Do you lose sight of what you are working for, come up with a strategy to keep on track or do you just simply hit the pause button?
It reminded me of a scene from Rocky Balboa. I added the link below in case you want to watch. I would listen to the words and process it yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk82j1jQw_8
It often seems impossible to get back on track, especially if the abrupt interruption sidelines your intent for an unreasonable amount of time. It leads me to my next question coupled with an observation as the follow-up. Do you go around the obstacle no matter what and find a way to accomplish what is needed on the road of achieving your goal? If you do, you are at mastery level for your mind and spirit. However, if you often find yourself coming to a screeching halt, read on. GET UP! This series may be of benefit as a way to dust off the tools your inner spirit is challenging you to fine tune. One of these tools is focus.
Now I am sure that if you are reading this blog, you have an interest in energy, color and the spiritual ideas that can be applied to everyday issues. Once you decide to refer to your level of focus as a tool, you will be able to determine when it is needed as well as when you have not used it at all. Altering your perspective enables you to analyze from a different angle how you have not been effectively using the power of focus. Remember, whatever you do not use, you lose. Your focus tool is like a muscle. If you have not used it for an extended period of time, it most likely has weakened just like the body muscle when not exercised, stretched or relaxed.
The good news is that if you choose to become the observer of your circumstances, your renewed focus will help you see the solutions to outstanding issues or give you clues on how to expedite the release of the obstacle. Please do not think that I am suggesting that this process of focus to find a solution is easy. You will determine this for yourself as your observer studies how your mind operates. Your focused mind will understand that the quicker you attend to your grieving soul, the faster the inner spirit will begin to rekindle the fire within needed to re-chart your course, even while handling the detour. Your perspective will change and most likely, you will feel reenergized.
I think it is in part because the doom the old coat of defeat wears has the ability to cast a trick on your mind, making the problem seem and feel insurmountable with no solution in sight, especially if its an illness or other circumstance that retains pain.
If you have read several of the past posts, you know that I am a firm believer that the universe will always find a way to get a message to you through unforeseen ways and during an unexpected time. This includes stumbling upon a book that is carrying a message that you need at that precise time. There are no coincidences in the spiritual realm. I simply turned towards my messy night table and there was a book of devotionals by Joyce Meyer, which I purchased a few years back. I had every intention of reading one page per day. It was not meant as I planned, it was meant for when it was needed. I browsed through the pages and landed on the page dated for April 2. The condensed message was about focus. It carried a straight message in just a few words that literally seemed to leap off the page for me: power, letting go and tool.
“Focus is the tool that God gives us to help us be who we say we want to be and do what we say we want to do.”
Joyce Meyer, 2016
The realization that I experienced had to do with understanding that focus is a tool, not just something that you have to do to accomplish the task at hand. The meaning for me is that this invaluable tool must be developed and strengthened if you are to use it properly to your advantage.
Have you ever said to yourself that you had to focus? I know I have a thousand times. However, what is different now is that I never looked at it as if I had to work on my ability to focus. Work the muscle that has not been taken care of properly so it is immediately and readily available to you when called upon.
Take this into account, minor adjustments within your mind may become the underpinnings of a complete breakthrough.
So if your vision has not come to pass or you can not even see a spec of it any longer in the horizon, instead of becoming discouraged, it may very well be the universe letting you know that you need a good jolt to refocus your plans. Again, your life speaks to you through your experiences. If all roads are blocked, you are blocked internally. Now you are going to have to ask yourself a few reflective questions that may be difficult to accept when answered. You know the old saying about sunlight. It will always be the best disinfectant. If you have completely gone off the rails from your goal, have become listless and your attitude has also been impacted, it is a clear sign that the feelings of immediate disappointment have now converted into disillusionment. It is so important to remain vigilant because if you wallow in it, that sentiment has a way of seeping into your grieving soul and it can very well lead to many lost years if left unchecked.
The query now becomes how do you start working out those focus muscles again to steer your course in the right direction despite the challenges you are facing all the while still handling the obstacles or responsibilities that require your immediate attention. The keyword is despite. Change your perspective on the matter at hand. View the challenge as a circumstance that God, the universe or your preferred higher source entrusted only you to handle. Once you accept this internally, you will not be able to live in the realm of resentment, anger or frustration. Again, the keyword now is acceptance. You were chosen to handle this while on this earth for Divine Intelligence and as a selected person, you were also awarded the tools. This is where your champion spirit lives. It is admirable to take risks in life to pursue your desires, but it is honorable to give of your life during your time on earth to take care of the needs of someone that may be completely and utterly helpless without you. The goal-driven soul that knows, that it knows, that it knows, that you are supposed to continue down your path until you fulfill your dreams, regardless of the twists and turns, will endlessly discover new ways on how to handle any detour while still pursuing your clear aim. Once you are able to achieve this mind shift, I promise you, your newfound focus will illuminate the pathway to your comeback. Once learned, you will carry this life lesson with you to call upon again and again when needed to command your mental focus. This is part of your roadmap to spiritual and mental mastery.
"Either I will find a way, or I will make one."
Philip Sidney
These unexpected curveballs are not meant for harm, but for growth. To stretch you into a different life path that is meant for you to conquer, not hinder. Perception plays another significant role here. It is preparation for your next chapter. Since crystal balls are not deemed to be part of our existence laying out each step of our lives as it is meant to unfold before us, whether gently or abruptly, the experience that came to cause a derailment, is inevitably equipping you for another event. It may also very well equip you to advise or guide someone that may cross your path and in desperate need of your comforting words of reassurance. It is none of our business as to how the universe has plotted the right time to position you, and only you, in order to guide someone else while on your road to your fulfilled desires. I know how exasperating it can be when your circumstances appear at a complete standstill no matter how hard you try, but again, I will lean on the side or perception. The extra time that is taking for the change you want to see, may also be lingering until certain character traits within you are titanium strength. Perhaps these unbreakable attributes will be called upon at a later stage in your life. This is especially certain if the vision you are working to manifest needs building from the ground up. Your attitude, your focus, your determination and that never quit spirit will be pushed front and center, especially when unescapable obstacles come knocking once again.
"It is the nature of the strong heart, that like the palm tree it strives ever upwards
when it is most burdened."
when it is most burdened."
Philip Sidney
So how do we start to get to that point? What are the first steps? Take a breath, acknowledge the chaos and calmly sit down. Sounds simple, borderline ridiculous and perhaps even humorous, but when you are being swept away by life's hard hits as we discussed at the onset of this blog post, even taking a conscious breath to realign your thoughts may seem arduous. Ask your spirit if you are ready to evaluate the issues and if you feel internal peace, you are ready. The same applies if you feel like your stomach is in the process of a gymnastics tournament, it is your spirit notifying you that your person needs a bit more time to grasp the immediate change. Taking a break will be of great service, even if you limit it to fifteen or twenty minutes. We are human and allowing the feeling of disappointment is important. Do not negate what you are facing. Confront it, accept it, chart what is still important to you and make a conscious decision. Remember, your subconscious will produce for you on earth your predominant thought, whether good or bad. It only takes orders. So if you have aligned your focus with a revised game plan to handle what is at hand, feelings of disappointment will dissipate. Whenever your mind begins to drift back towards the entangled events, do not allow it to dominate you. Re-focus as many times as needed with the intention to shift your thoughts.
Clarity paves the way to ultimate success. Revise your plan. Reassess your time management. Break down your objective into very small steps. This will set you up for achievement. Carve out the necessary time frame to accomplish it with the caveat that you need to remain flexible in the event you are delayed by the tasks at hand. Do not confuse delay with the excuse of procrastination or shoving it off to the following day if avoidable. Remember, you need to remain the observer of your mind and experience to keep your focus in check. It will guide you, lead you, teach you until your goals are made manifest.
This is the very moment in life that requires your vision to be clearly identified giving you the fuel that is required to believe with enough faith that it will come to pass. Do not assist in the digging of your pitfalls when there is no clear vision. Reassess with your newfound focus if your internal belief barometer has stalled or completely run out of steam. Attempting to believe in a vision that has no clear cut pathway to fruition will chase away your faith until it is completely extinguished.
"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."
James 1:6
These words are not easy to write. However, it is compelling to examine what can happen when there is no clear vision, no goal, no priority, and no specific target. A vivid inspiration that you can easily and concisely express or write out in one sentence, without hesitation is what you need to work on with your renewed focus to recreate a clear and shatterproof vision.
So if you are ready, I am going to do my very best to dissect, explore and partner with you in a five-part blog series of what needs to get done to recapture your mojo. Focus, Discipline, Belief, Faith and Vision. The blog series will take an analytical approach to the steps needed to rebuild these areas in order to recreate a clear and shatterproof vision. To recover whatever was lost within you that has led to the present detour and reprogram your mind, body and spirit back onto the road of achievement for your dreams and goals. Let me reassure you, you did not stumble upon this post, we did not connect by chance and I was not compelled to just sit and write for no reason. Spiritual energy has a way of finding the same energy force that is needed at the precise moment.
Since this blog post is part one of the series dedicated to the focus tool, whenever you are ready to embark on the journey and want to interject color to mark the moment you chose to recreate your shatterproof vision, here are a few suggestions to pull from your closet:
BLUE
Promotes and encourages thought flow and your overall performance;
ORANGE
Believed by feng shui practitioners to enhance focus, creativity and concentration;
GREEN
It is all about balance when choosing a green hue. This color helps produce clarity.
