It's Easy to Get MisFocused

Today is when the events and acitivities for the past week or so have finally caught up with me.  My body is tired.  My stress level is present.  My time is fleeing by faster than I can blink.  My money is not as guarded as I'd like.  My family is feeling the out of routine.  It's a wonder no one isn't sick or have had something major occur because I don't think that I can take this anymore!  But God knows how much you and I can take and He is with us every step of the way.

"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Hebrews 13: 5

If you stop and read this scripture, it gives a sense peace. Tranquility.... I love this word that Dr. Norman Vincent Peale used in his The Power of Positive Thinking. 

What is it that you and I are doing day to day if we can't be content or at peace knowing that He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you, precious child of God?

It is so easy to get carried away with the to do list.  Work pressures mount high as jobs are on the line.  Family needs heighten as little ones grow and need new clothes, shoes and such.  Not to mention health care costs, insurance, and education.  For those single, it is seeking love in many places but the one that gives contentment.  It's easy to become misfocused as you and I live our day to day life.

Being misfocused is easily done.  Technology is great at this.  Peer pressure and gettting caught up in the crowd mentality is easy to do.  Forgetting to pray as you chase after a child or sit in a serious meeting or whatever activity is occuring is not good.  Sometimes going to too much church or other related activities can easily misfocus you on worshiping the One we need most in our life.

How do we stop being misfocused and help ourselves get refocused?  For starters, getting your finances in order is a black and white answer to your behavior and what you are or are not doing right.  For example, if you are working a written plan and watching your spending behavior, then when you review it and realize how artificial it truly is, that is a reality check on where you are misfocused.

Our finances can tell us a lot about ourselves.  As much as we don't want to face ourselves in the mirror and admit our mistakes (and the fact that we are not perfect), it is a  necessary discipline to do so.  I along with many must constantly self-evaluate.  It's no easy task.  But let's not let this negative bring us down or destroy self-esteem.  Let's forgive ourselves and admit to do better.

To get refocused, it is wise to take a look at your monthly spending for the last 1-3 months.  From there, categorize your areas of spending.  Most folks overspend in the personal area as well as the food area.  Perhaps challenge yourself with a new goal.

Another area to get refocused is to do tax preparation work.  This is the time of year when you force yourself to organize your tax material as well as your financial paperwork.  Reviewing so many items will help.  While it's not fun and a little tedious, the outcome can be of great benefit.

Once you've refocused yourself and worked to get your finances back up and running in a better way, then it's time to check out other areas of your life such as TIME MANAGEMENT.  Time is just as important as money and perhaps more so because there's only so much of it that you can give.  Managing your time means you can direct your attention to the areas of your life that are important and not waste your time in other areas.

The financial perspective to learn about is how to correct where it is in your life that you are misfocused.  The number one area is have a relationship with God and then all else will follow.  I have found this to be true that if I invest my time into a relationship with God then all else gets better including the finances.  It's getting focused on the One who will never leave us nor forsake us!

By Stephanie Arredondo  (c) 2012 Alfa Sugar