Whether you want to improve your health, strengthen your relationships, or grow in your faith, if you don’t set a goal then your goal is to stay the same. When have a clear focus, we can achieve things we never thought possible.
A clear focus starts by setting S.M.A.R.T goals – goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable (but still challenging), Relevant, and Time sensitive. Rather than overhauling your life by trying to make too many changes at once, focus on a few, small changes that will have the biggest impact. Focus on consistency until those changes become habit. Focus on moving forward, one baby step at a time, on being content with “imperfect progress,” and on finding a balance that works for you in the specific phase of life that you’re in because that is how you are going to stick with it long term!
How do you lead a focused life?
Step 1: Identify your long term goal/s in each area of your life – your physical, emotional, and spiritual health, your family, your career, etc. (Here’s a great SMART Goal Setting Worksheet by CornerStone Executive & Life Coaching Ltd. that you can use to outline your goals.)
Step 2: Break your long terms goals down into smaller, weekly mini goals that will keep you moving forward.
For example, if you want to improve your health, focus on your nutrition by following a meal plan and/or an exercise program. If you want to have a stronger relationship with your spouse and your kids, focus on being intentional with the activities you choose to do with them. If you want to grow in your faith, focus on spending time in His word and with fellow believers.
Step 3: Break down your weekly mini goals into daily action steps. Small daily changes are the key to lasting long term results.
“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John Maxwell
When you participate in one of my coaching programs, I’ll work with you to create SMART goals and provide you with the support and accountability to follow through. I’ll help you dig deep, find your core motivation for achieving your goals, and develop a “commitment statement” that outlines what, why, and how you’re going to get there. With a clear focus, a strong WHY, and a step-by-step action plan, you can change your habits and your life!
Here’s an example of a SMART goal for someone who wants to get in lose weight and get in better shape:
“Over the next 3 months, I am committed to losing 25 pounds because my health is important to my and my family’s well-being. I want to have the energy to keep up with my kids, lead by example, and reduce my risk of health-related illness and disease. I will achieve this goal by losing 2 pounds/week through daily exercise (completing a 30 minute DVD program) and by following a weekly meal plan.”
While the long term goal above is a physical one, living a focused life means stepping back and looking at the big picture. It’s not just about making external changes, it’s about transforming your life from the inside out!
Living a focused life means…
1. Focusing on your PRIORITIES and learning how to eliminate distractions so that you can maximize your time and live in the moment.
There are only two things on this Earth that are eternal – God’s Word and people – so these two things should be at the top of your priority list. At the end of your life, it won’t matter if you had a successful career, lived in a big house, or went on extravagant vacations. What will matter is if you chose to invest in those two things.
“A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump; a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.” Proverbs 11:28 MSG
2. Seeking your true PURPOSE in life and learning how to say “no” to things that do not align with your purpose.
Part of living a focused life means turning down good opportunities or things you may want to do to make time for the things God is calling you to do. When we try to do it all, we end up stressed and overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed is a clear sign that you’re overcommitted. We get more out of life by doing less.
“You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3
3. Staying focused on HIM and trusting in HIS PLAN for your life.
A life focused on Him means:
F– Faith and Family First
O– Others before yourself
C– Cut out the distractions
U– Unplug as often as you can
S– Simplify your life. ¹
“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
4. Staying focused on WHAT LIES AHEAD and not on our past mistakes, labels we have placed upon ourselves, or unrealistic expectations.
Instead of questioning why, we can learn from our past and use these experiences to make wiser choices in the future.
“The clay doesn’t ask, why did you make me this way?” Isaiah 45:9
5. Focusing on being TRANSFORMED FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
A true transformation starts by looking at what’s happening on the inside – with a renewal of the mind and the spirit. This creates the mindset, strength, and determination needed to build positive lifestyle habits and achieve a complete transformation.
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering…Fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:2 MSG
6. Staying focused ON THE GOAL and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.
This is more than your goal of wanting to lose weight, get fit, or be more intentional in your parenting. This is about staying focused on the goal of becoming more like Christ, living a life that is holy and pleasing to Him, and of allowing Him to transform the broken pieces of your life into something beautiful. It’s about trusting in His plan and knowing that He is using all things – good and bad – for the benefit of those who choose to follow Him.
By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward — to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back…Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them…All they want is easy street…But easy street is a dead-end street…There’s far more to life for us…We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.” Phil 3:13-21 MSG
Philippians 3:12-21 inspires me to stay focused on the goal. I’m not an expert in all of this, but I’m pressing forward. I’ve seen how keeping my eyes fixed on Him has transformed my life, along with the lives of so many others, and I’m not turning back.
Today, I invite you to join me! To keep your eyes on the goal, to give nothing less than total commitment, and to walk alongside me on my journey to live a healthier, more focused life. Since you’re here, you are already on the right track! Don’t get lost among the fad diets, quick fixes, and easy-way-outs that focus only on the external, give you a false sense of hope. and then send you right back to where you started. Experience a lasting transformation that occurs from the inside out and unlock the power of a focused life!
CALL TO ACTION: If you want to join me on my journey towards a healthier, more focused life, subscribe to my blog for weekly encouragement and/or join my private Fueled Fit Focused Facebook Community for free resources, support, and accountability.
