Posts Tagged ‘focus’

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Making Decisions With The Heart

January 13, 2015

Emotional thinking. Make the big decisions with your heart, the small ones with your head. The electromagnetic frequency of the heart is ten thousand times stronger than that of the brain. The brain takes its orders from the heart.

Looking for practices to cultivate during the coming year, I ran across this thought from the head of an ad agency. I’m still pondering all the meaning of this statement.

Good salespeople know that we make decisions with our heart–or at least with our emotions. Logic and rationality come later to justify the decision.

Brain physiology has discovered that the links between emotion and brain are much more complex and deeper than we might have suspected.

All this flies in the face of 20th Century economic models that are built on the idea of an “economic man.” This hypothetical person makes only rational economic decisions. This person is fiction.

Do you know someone who makes, or tries to make, all decisions rationally? Do you know a person who can’t make decisions? Same guy. I’ve had clients who overanalyze, over think, worry, ask for more data, and never get around to making important decisions. I know many people, usually called engineers, with this disease.

With a heart

I’d like to play with the word heart that was used in the quote. Rather than use it in the sense of pure emotion, let’s take another look.

Jesus said that where we spend money reflects where our heart is. Jesus may have been the first cardiologist–he was most concerned with the status of our hearts. And what he meant wasn’t purely emotional. What he meant was the center of our life.

Where is our life centered? Is it on God? Is it on our own well being? Is it directed toward others? Is it on selfishness and greed?

Don’t take those questions lightly. After years of “heart” work, I still struggle at times with the condition of my heart. And just like I exercise, am careful what I eat, and take my meds to care for my physical heart, I also meditate, study, worship, serve to develop my spiritual heart.

I’m not sure what was meant in the quote, but as I develop the thought, there is a lot of truth. Develop your heart and let it be your guide in decision making.

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Being Mindful As A Discipline

January 7, 2015

Being mindful is to focus on what you are doing. Awareness of where you are, who you are, what you are.

The dominant (not the only) cause of obesity and being overweight is simply eating too much. We eat too much because we simply start shoving food into our mouth without paying any attention.

When you eat, focus on your eating. The sights, sounds, smells, tastes. Slow down and eat with mindfulness.

When I cut myself while shaving, it is almost always because my mind has drifted and I am no longer mindful of what I am doing with that sharp instrument in my hand.

Nehemiah prays (chapter 9) about his people saying they have not been mindful of God for a long time.

Do we wake up in the morning and set our mind first thing on God and the mindfulness that we are part of God’s people? Doing so will start our day off in a good way.

The best way to return to mindfulness is simply to pause. It is in the pause that true life returns. We can then return to our work refreshed. The pause before saying something hurtful can turn our words into words of encouragement rather than destruction.

When we work, work. Focus on the task at hand. Don’t be like Martha of whom Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are distracted by many things.”

Mindfulness also is a key to listening. Being mindful of the other person–focusing on them and not us–will help us grow and love more.

Mindfulness is a foundation to putting disciplines into practice.

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Blessings For The New Year

January 1, 2015

Relax.

Refresh.

Renew.

Pause today to reflect on the past and future before we jump into living in the moment during the year.

What Great Work will define us this year?

I have chosen mine. I will ask each day, “Does this activity relate to my Great Work?”

Simplify and prune the unnecessary activities.

May your 2015 be Blessed.

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Measure Your Priorities in Life

December 22, 2014

Jesus told us to watch what we do with our money, wealth and possessions. Their use is an indicator of the status of our heart.

This is probably a good time of the year to pause our hectic holiday activities and search out what our priorities are.

Where are your priorities? How can we know? This time of year, commercialization grabs center stage. Yet, also, there are opportunities to donate to any of seemingly a million causes. Do you pick some causes important to you or your understanding of mission? Do you donate? Or is your spending ruled by yourself?

Christmas is a boom time for luxury car sales. Those must be presents for oneself.

You can apply this to other areas of life. Take a look at a church budget and divide into two buckets. Take a look at your personal overall budget and put into two buckets. Check out your Christmas budget. Yep. Divide into two buckets. One bucket is for your personal (or the church’s internal) use. The other is for outreach/mission/evangelism/other-focused. What is the proportion of one bucket to the other? If it is greater than 50/50 weighted toward inward/personal, what does that say about you?

Pause, reflect, take appropriate action. Don’t be a Grinch. Help others have a happy Christmas time.

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Pause to Find Self-Awareness

December 19, 2014

Everywhere are conversations among people this week, “Are you ready for Christmas? I have so much to do. Not enough time to do it.”

We hurry from work to shopping to wrapping to parties to work. It’s all a big blur.

We don’t have time to “feel the Christmas spirit” because we don’t have time to notice.

Gene Appel, senior pastor of the Eastside Christian Church in Orange County, California, drew a lesson from one of Jesus’ stories to (and about) his local Pharisees in a message a few weeks ago.

It seems that a man had two sons. One tapped into the old man for a chunk of money and took off for the good life. One day after the money was gone, the friends were gone, the women were gone and he woke up in a pigpen, he “came to his senses.” He became what is one of the hardest things for us to do—to become self-aware.

When did he become self-aware? When he stopped. There was no more hurry. No more drinking, no more women, no more friends, no more hurrying from one party to the next. He stopped. And then he came to his senses.

Perhaps it is time we stop. Just pause and take a deep breath. Inhale until the lungs fill; then keep going until the stomach is “filled”; then keep going until the abdomen grows. Then slowly release the breath. Two or three of those should slow us down until we can become aware of our circumstances, our emotions, our environment.

Stop. Look around. Place your thoughts on Jesus. Rejoice in the celebration.

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Take a Walk To Change Your Mood

December 16, 2014

The best time is when you don’t feel like it.

Going for a walk when you don’t feel like it will change your mood, transform your posture and get you moving.

And if you don’t feel like talking with someone, bring them with you on the walk.

–Seth Godin

Seth Godin is a marketing guru. He’s written several books. Now he writes short blog posts. Here is one that really suggests wisdom relating to Spiritual discipline.

Sometimes you just can’t pray. Sometimes you just can’t study. Sometimes you just don’t feel like celebrating.

When you don’t feel like it, change something.

Going outside is a great mood enhancer. And a creativity booster.

I like his idea of bringing someone along for the walk when you don’t feel like talking with them. I know from experience.

This idea of intentionally asking someone for a conversation is powerful. There is a guy here in my town who is a genius at this. He even has me doing it.

Think I’ll go take a walk.

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How Much Are You Paid To Watch TV?

December 9, 2014

How much are you paid to watch TV?

How much TV do you watch? Do you watch to learn anything? Or do you watch to pass the time and deaden the mind?

I just read that quote in a book yesterday afternoon. Then I came home and settled in to turn on the NFL football game and do some proofreading. Next thing I knew, it was time to go to bed. TV does that to me.

If I am supposed to be waiting in anticipation during advent, then watching TV is a lot like the five foolish maids at the wedding who went to sleep and let their lamps burn out before the wedding party arrived. They were not prepared.

My wife has her morning ritual of eating breakfast while watching a recorded episode of The Chew. I guess that there is TV watching that is OK.

I’d watch why I turn on the TV, though. Am I diverting my attention just to escape what I should be doing?

I used to go down to the family room to watch one episode of a comedy then return to my chair to read. I discovered that my mind was dead. It took quite some time to get my mind back in focus.

My advent wish for you is that you can be intentional about TV watching and other habits that distract us from our preparation and waiting mindfully.

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Be Careful What We Say

December 5, 2014

“Out of the overflow of our hearts, the mouth speaks.”
Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew 11

December in the US, and I would imagine in many other countries, is a time of stress, worry, impatience, overwork. We must buy just the right present for everyone on the list. We must prepare tasty dishes for Christmas or holiday gatherings. We must navigate through family feelings for visits and gatherings.

What is the status of our hearts?

Out of worry, fear, insecurity, impatience, stress in our hearts things we say to others or write on Facebook may not be what we wish we would have said during calmer times.

In fact, when I look at Facebook posts from self-professed Christians, I wonder if Jesus would be honored by what is said or implied.

During Advent, let’s try to simplify things.

Stopping every morning before the day begins to have a cup of coffee or tea, read, meditate, pray, these all help us check the status of our hearts, slow us down, focus us on the important things.

Good ideas come when we slow down and focus.

We can defeat the negative emotions that can distract us just by getting our hearts right intentionally every morning.

Then, we don’t have that other worry of reading our Facebook posts and wondering just what we were thinking!

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When Do You Think About Jesus

October 31, 2014

Computers, networking devices, software, how to use all of this to make manufacturing more efficient and effective. That’s where most of my attention is during the day.

Many, or most, of you face the same challenge. Most of your attention is on where you earn a living.

I thought about this while reading some interesting thoughts from a guy who is on the pastoral staff of a large church. Gosh, most of his thoughts must be on Jesus. Right? Or maybe not.

So where does Jesus fit in? When do you think of God?

Jesus had to have spent much time thinking about God. He always had an answer. He couldn’t have spent all day talking about the weather with his followers. We know that sometimes his attention was diverted–a woman touching him to be healed, people with diseases coming to him asking for healing, rich guys asking for advice, teachers asking him trick questions (just like they do yet today in school).

Maybe we need a post-it note on our computer screen to remind us to stop and think of Jesus? Or maybe an alert on our calendar that pops up to remind us to pray.

The reason I like Daniel so much, you know, the guy who administered the Babylonian empire and who was so good that when the Persians conquered them they kept him as top administrator, the reason I like him is that he withdrew from his office three times a day to go to his room and pray.

It is that intentional habit to stop what he’s doing and pray. Did he have an alert? Without a computer to popup an alert on the screen, did he have an assistant look in his office and alert him? Was it just built into his brain that it was time o pray?

How can I divert my attention to Jesus during the day to remember my source of inspiration?

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Weak Leaders

October 21, 2014

Weak leaders

Weak leaders rule through fear. Other weak leaders fail to lead.

There is a leader who likes to keep everyone guessing about where they stand. He moves people to different positions continually in order to keep them off balance.

This leader has a few favorites. They know it. This breeds internal dissension. There is no team. No coordinated moving toward a vision. There is only keeping your head down and hoping not to be noticed.

There is another weak leader who actually is not a leader. She may have the position, but she refuses to guide the team. She lets them go wherever they may. Some of the followers are frustrated by lack of team. Others are happy to be left alone to do their own thing.

Similarly, there is the leader who cannot make a decision. Things are always unsettled in the organization because no one knows the direction they are going.

Strong leaders

Strong leaders cast a vision of the meaning and purpose of the organization or team. Strong leaders guide the members of the team in growth and direction as a skilled horseman can guide a horse with the most subtle of touches with the rein or knees.

Strong leaders grow other leaders. They counsel and mentor helping the leaders under them to grow strong as leaders. She provides correction as necessary in order to keep the organization moving in the right direction. And everyone adding to the success of the mission.

Strong leaders do not let followers flounder in loss of direction.

Strong leaders devote much of their focus and thoughts on others on the team.

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