Before I returned to school to get my masters degree in psychology and counseling I had the privilege to work for a short time with a company that gave two week workshops to injured workers in chronic pain. The participants were mandated to come before their workman's comp expired. They were angry and combative. Yet over the two weeks, we saw change in individuals who had "hope" once again. They began to focus on what they could do rather than what they couldn't do. It was an amazing transformation I was to witness many times. Some refused and remained locked in bitterness over their injuries.
When we believe we are limited or have no choices, we experience hopelessness, helplessness, resentment, anxiety and fear. But when we shift our focus to possibilties and options, our energy can be directed toward finding solutions and setting goals.
When I stopped teaching, I decided I wanted to share my training and life experiences with others outside the college classroom and clinical setting. I chose the name FOCUS as a company name because it seemed to personify what is needed to survive in life - a focus - to establish goals and navigate through the pressures and struggles in life. When we struggle and struggle and it seems we aren't going anywhere, it is easy to get discouraged and we feel like giving up. Yet it is within these struggles that we get stronger mentally, emotionally and spiritually just as our bodies get stronger with physical exercise.
Our focus in life defines who we are and what we believe in. It helps to establish our boundaries, set goals and define priorities. We often cannot choose what life is going to throw at us, but we can choose how we will respond. It is in our choices that we grow. We choose our FOCUS.
In the upcoming weeks, I will be publishing on this BlogSpot a series about FOCUS strategies you can apply to your life.
Marlene Anderson, MA, LMHC, NCC
copyright 2010
Contributing Author: http://www.authorhaven.blogspot.com/
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