"Life is what happens to us while we are busy making other plans" - John Lennon
Have you hit any roadblocks this year? Did someone, or something knock you off track? How did you handle it? Some will simply give up on their goal and say "life" got in the way. Others will find a way to handle it. Maybe the key is simply to know where to focus.
Recently my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, first let me say the doctor tells us she is going to be ok. But for the past few weeks it has been very difficult. Of course one of the toughest parts is "not knowing". Karen and I both believe she will be ok, we just want to know what to expect.
Over the past few weeks she has had 3 surgical procedures and we still don't know the final results. Once we do, we'll know how they will handle the treatment. But in the meantime..........we wait.
So, what's the point? Maybe it's that we still need to keep our priorities in order. Many years ago Floyd shared something with me that is helping us today. He said there are 4 priorities in life. They are "Business, Faith, Family, and Self". Sometimes we need to focus on business first, then family, then faith, then self. Or sometimes it's self, family, faith and business. Or maybe it's.........well, you get the idea dont' you?
Over the past few weeks I have felt lost. I have struggled to focus on my business at all. I have spent a lot of time praying and taking care of Karen. Then I remembered the 4 priorities. I realized that my priorities have changed. Right now they are Faith, Family, Business and Self. I also realized Karen's journey is going to be a long one. Can I really afford "not" to do focus on my business at all? The answer is, of course not.
Is it possible for the order of those priorities to change daily? Maybe even during the day? It's almost funny to listen to Karen. One minute she wants me by her side, and the next minute she wants me out teaching. So, I thought, can I do both? I realized that if I can prioritize correctly, the answer is yes.
Life is what happens while we are making plans. There are still 168 hours in a week. What matters now is that I remain "focused". Focused on what...or when? Well, that depends doesn't it? Focused on Karen, "when" she needs me, focused on business, "because" we need it, focused on "faith", because we need Him, and focused on "self", so I don't burn out. The only decision is is when to prioritize which focus.
Will it be easy? Probably not. Then again, nothing worth having is easy....it may be simple, but surely not easy.
