Focus

That is my word for 2026. I am not good at it. I am easily distracted and try to do too many things at one time. But I recently came across another way to think about focus.

Focus means choosing what does not matter.

Think about that. We think focus allows us to do more. Maybe we focus on the wrong things. What you choose not to do determines what you can do. Perhaps focus is meant for us to be able to do less better?

Maybe I have been looking at it all wrong. Maybe I need to decide NOT to do something!

Focus

Reputation

 

How do you define your reputation? What does that word mean? It seems intangible to me. Do you see people who try to flaunt a reputation? Maybe even market a curated reputation?

Your reputation is not your decision. You certainly influence it by your behavior and actions. But I don’t think you get to say what your reputation is. I don’t think we get to talk about our own reputation.  Your reputation is determined by others. It is talked about by others. Consider this…

Your reputation is not what you shout, it is what others whisper.

Grudges

Do you hold grudges? It can feel like we’re protecting ourselves by holding on to anger or resentment. But more often than not, the weight of a grudge hurts us more than it protects us. Holding a grudge actually feels like work.

How quickly are you to forgive? Forgiveness is about choosing your own peace and allowing yourself to move forward. It doesn’t require reconnecting or trusting someone again. It simply frees you to move on. It just means you’re done carrying what they left behind. Let it go. Do it for your own peace. Enjoy the quote below…

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
— Buddha

Failure

 

Have you failed? More than once? I certainly have, we all have.

Thomas Edison made many attempts at inventing a working lightbulb with setback after setback. Yet he was confident he hadn’t failed even once. He had simply found ten thousand ways not to make a lightbulb. That’s a great perspective when you face adversity. In the effort toward any worthwhile goal, failure has to be considered part of the process. Failure in achieving a particular result isn’t really failure if it’s another step on the way toward the goal. It can be a vital part of the journey.

Until we can accept failure as part of the process our growth and accomplishments are limited.

*Taken from a page in the book “Uncommon Life Daily Challenge” by Tony Dungy