"Your life is controlled by what you focus on."
-Tony Robbins
"Just focus." "Don't focus too much on that." "Adjust your focus." "Focus on what you want." That can be a scary reality. Getting the focus just right is difficult.
We hear these comments all the time yet, do we really know what that means for our lives? Should we have near-sighted focus or far-sighted focus? Do we focus on the pieces of the puzzle or the overall project itself? We hear contradictory words of advice. For instance, we are told to focus on the little things in life yet we should be seeing the big picture.
Have you ever tried to guess what something is with a close up photo? Or what about images changes based upon your viewing angle?
Can you see both the old and young lady?
With these images in mind, we can now visualize how perspective changes our focus. We can also see that nearsightedness and farsightedness can affect the way in which we perceive objects.
In life, it is very easy to get in a fixated frame of mind.
When situations in life do not go the way we may have desired or expected, we can become immersed in a negative state of mind. We view small modifications to our lives as big obstacles standing in the way of our happiness. Rather than choosing to notice how trials in life develop character, persistence, patience, and growth, we see how they affect us short-term.
We focus too significantly on the fact that our shoes are falling apart instead of realizing that they are worn due to the distances we have traveled. We see torn up soles rather than built up souls and worn down heels rather than how we have been healed.
In life's valleys, we choose nearsightedness. It is easier for us to set up camp rather than climb back up the mountain. We get stuck. Stuck in a narrow frame of mind. Stuck in a place with an open door of opportunity yet a closed mind of doubt.
Atop life's mountains, we face the other extreme. We see the big picture yet fail to acknowledge each step and tool that got us there. We stand at the top of those mountains with our hands up above our heads; congratulating ourselves for our big accomplishment. What about the sun that lit the way, the path that kept us on track, the wind that cooled us off when we felt as though we could not take another step, and the dirt beneath our feet that acted as a solid foundation in which to climb?
We are told to focus but are not told how.
We need to find balance. We need to be people of hope yet people of humility. Finding ways in which to be grateful in life's hardships and ways in which to be appreciative in life's successes and triumphs is hard and touchy.
This balance of nearsightedness and farsightedness, however, can give us perfect vision.
