Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Hitting the Mark (and Realizing Your Dreams)

During my meditation last week, I had a powerful insight regarding the need to cultivate laser-like focus in overcoming an obstacle and manifesting a particular dream.  Along with the "aha" moment, came the mental image of a master, teaching me how to shoot a bow and arrow with exact precision.

The message was clear:  If you want to hit your mark, there must be a deep desire, a non-negotiable passion to get to the center of the target. If you shoot casually, without focus, you're likely to waste your time and end up feeling ineffective or apathetic, as if you couldn't muster enough energy to give it your all.  

When you stop and focus with intention on your purpose or dream, you are are going for the bull's-eye. You're getting your body in position, narrowing your eyes, pulling back the arrow, and in the moment of release your complete and total focus is on hitting the target. Absolutely nothing else matters in that instant. You know with full certainty who you are and what you want to achieve, and you pursue it as if there's nothing more important in the world. There is something incredibly beautiful in that moment of focus. It's a form of bliss.

The opposite of this nirvana is when you lack focus and don't know what to do. Or when you're pulled in so many different directions that you become scattered and fragmented. Or when you focus on burdensome or unnecessary tasks (or goals that you're not likely to achieve). Or when you spend your days running around preventing or putting out fires instead of fulfilling your dream. This is what happens when we lack clarity and purpose, and/or when we've bitten off more than we can chew. Most of us don't need more time or energy. We need more focus and discrimination.

Whether it's your deep desire to run a mountain marathon, open an orphanage in India, or learn to relax and be present in the moment, the need to find focus and believe in yourself is the same.

So, what's your dream, and are you giving it the focus it deserves? If you feel overwhelmed by "real world" demands, or that your dream is impractical, I invite you to take some time this week to reconsider. Maybe evaluate how you're currently spending your time and money, and what adjustments could be made to accommodate your heart's desire.

I remember once hearing a 40-year-old man complain that he had missed his calling. He had always wanted to be a doctor, but he now felt he was too old to start over. He said to his friend, "If I go back to school now, I'll be 46 by the time I'm done," and his friend responded, "How old will you be if you don't?"

I'd love to hear from you. Please comment below, or email me at jvshinn@WakeUpSweetheart.com

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