#getafterit

Stop procrastinating!! Don't let another year pass you by while you ponder and wonder what could've been. Get started, you got this!!

Good day mates.

I hope all is well for whoever comes across this post. That your family is in good health, that you are in good spirits and that you are starting to see the maturation of the seeds you have planted so far this year. This week we'll take a dip into what it means to fix our focus in order to accomplish whatever it is we set out to. Going forward, I'm going to try and include resources for everyone to look at which will support what I write. Most of the stuff I'll include will be historical articles or references that I already know about and used myself but I will try to include something more fresh.

What comes to mind when you think of having a "fixed focus" ? Could it be having specific objectives that you key-in on for a certain amount of time ? Or maybe it is a mental framework in general where one is locked-in for a season or in regards to a section of their life. Whatever it is, "fixing" your focus should involve moving with consistent intention. To whatever you pursue. Not allowing daily distractions to take away from that focus.

Like any habit, developing a fixed focus require time and practice. It's incredibly easy to start something to then never finish it or suddenly lose desire to see it through. Fixing that focus should allow you to be in tune with the bigger picture, allowing you to move forward no matter your circumstantial mood. For each and every one of us, removing what doesn't serve us could be a necessary step to help you focus or at least setting boundaries will.

Having a finite amount of mental bandwidth per day, we can only focus on so much. Finding areas in your life where you can remove idle or meaningless activity and substituting it with steps towards what you want most will inevitably allow to move forward faster. Find time to fix your focus before we enter this next quarter, I know I will be. Shift, pivot and remember what helped get you here but think on what can get you there. Whatever there is for you.

Cheers everyone and stay locked in. Happy Easter

DaJuan

Having a Social Media Consultant is something great because if you are not a big technology or social media person and want to find more ways to spread a business or product in a big way, a consultant will do such a thing. Personally, I think some good qualities a Social Media Consultant should have would be Understanding the analytics, the social media tools provided, and knowing how to market through email and any other social media. having an understanding of analytics is so important due to the fact that you can try and get a post out there where everyone will see at a popular time or a time where people are needing the business or product. And being able to run a site where you understand all the tools they have on that social media. Plus if you are good at marketing online with others over social media and knowing how to sound over text. If I were to be a consultant to myself, I would first try to set some good goals. The SMART technique I would start off with. Basically start off with small and accomplishable goals that are measurable to reach in a short amount of time. I would also try and keep myself updated and being sensitive to recent events if any happen to gain the Loyalty of others. I guess so far I have been able to keep up with my posts and have a set time to post them, however one thing that could help would be using all sorts of social media instead of just one, to get my product, or company across The whole internet and let people know about my things.

My middle son is a skilled soccer player. His love for the game coupled with some very impressive ball skills makes him a joy to watch. He is nine and doing things I’m not sure I ever could. I often find myself watching and learning. Last Sunday I watched and learned the dangers of wanting everything to be perfect. I've heard the expression, 'perfection is the enemy of progress' but it wasn't until I witnessed it in the literal sense, that it actually sunk in for me. My son has been playing soccer in the city for a few weeks now and the first week, the coach placed him in a group with kids his age. He loved every second of it because he was getting the ball around them and scoring goals with ease. It gave him a thrill to have such great success. The coach saw that his skill level needed challenging, so the next week he moved my son up to the older and more skilled group of players. It only took a few minutes to see two things; one, he was frustrated by the relocation because the group he was now with was much more difficult to play against and two, this new challenge would be very good for his growth and development. What Graham and I know is this; the only way he gets better than he already is, is by facing a group of kids that force him to grow and learn. If it's easy and perfect, he isn't going to get any better than he already is.

Our son didn't see things the way we did. In fact, he was mad. When he got into the car, he threw his soccer shoes down on the floor and angrily announced, "I'm never playing soccer again!" You could have honestly interpreted his words this way, "if I'm not perfect and the circumstances aren't ideal, and it's not easy, I don't want to do it." Though I absolutely had compassion for his frustration, I had to let him sit in his pain a while. Last year I took a course in discipleship counselling and I learned something amazing and valuable; if we rescue people from their pain or struggle too soon, they wont get the lesson they were meant to get from it. As I watched him cry over how hard soccer just became, and beg us to ask the coach to move him back to play with the first group of kids, I realized something; we all want to be allowed back to our comfort zone. But our heavenly father doesn't work that way. He stretches us. He grows us. He takes us into places, circumstances, situations and seasons where we feel completely incapable and inadequate and he helps us develop and grow and learn to depend on him. He doesn't toss us into deep water and leave us alone to struggle but he definitely takes us deeper than we would like to go and then is with us while we learn how to navigate new and uncharted territory. As we move forward in the discomfort, we develop a brand new capacity and become stronger and wiser. He gets us better by allowing us to feel worse for a time. Not because he doesn't care about us but because he does care, a lot! He isn't moved by instability. The discomfort that uncharted territory brings us, isn't felt by him. He is in control and we are in His hands the entire time. He knows what he's doing. He has a plan and a purpose and it's perfect for the strengthening and maturing of our soul. When we know this, we can find rest amidst whatever challenge we're up against. We can look at challenging situations and seasons a little differently knowing there is a plan and a purpose and something good is in it for us. We gave our son time to cool down and then we explained this very thing to him. Graham and I both celebrated how much of a compliment it was to be moved up to an older group of players. We did our best to show our son that things getting harder doesn't mean we just give up, or that we are not good at soccer, it means we rise up to face the challenge head on and embrace getting better. If it isn't perfect right now, you've still got to try. If you sit and wait for ease, you won't make progress. Like it or not, the only way to get better is to embrace the challenge you are facing and trust that God will lead you through it. You won't look the same coming out of the challenge as you did going in it. You'll look wiser, stronger, kinder and above all, more trusting of a heavenly father who has you in the palm of his hand and won't ever let you go.

So many people wait for the perfect circumstances in order to step forward and try to make progress, but the exact opposite is true; progress happens when things aren’t perfect, but you move forward anyways. Progress occurs when things aren’t easy, but you try your best anyways. Success comes when things aren’t ideal or the way you would like them to be, but you decide to show up and simply, try. If we wait for perfection, we’ll always be waiting. If we step into imperfect circumstances, we’ll always come out better.

I love it when people tell me they are getting ready to join the gym. It gives me an opportunity to be honest and tell them that’s just a delay tactic. You join the gym to get ready, it’s not the other way around. The gym gets you ready. The only way you’ll get in shape is by showing up, facing the hard workout head on, scaling it appropriately, and doing your best. Starting, even if it’s hard, is the only way to get better.