Finding New Focus

While I love the excitement and the "feel" of the calendar turning off into a new year, resolutions have never been much help to me.

What I find myself needing most has to do with, well, I suppose you could call it "focus."

Energy runs right up against focus though! Maybe the way to put it is I'm looking for the energy to discover a new, motivating focus as I move out into what we call 2009.

Today I am thinking that the dimensions of my new focus won't be very complicated.

Whatever I do, I want to be more inclusive, of people, of new ideas, of different opinions, of new ways of working. Ironically, in order to get clearer and more precise about matters, I need to mess things up even more by including lots of other factors, relationships and data. I need to find new sources of information, developed from a different context and perspective. I need to find new friends who work in fields that are unknown to me. I need to see, to witness new developments, events, happenings.

But then, I want to be more on task in the day-to-day stuff. I'm determined to waste less time, to spend the hours I have in more productive ways. I mean, I don't have to be distracted or concerned about everything!

Again, there is a tension here. Sometimes inclusion butts heads with mission. But I know that if people become more of a priority for me, this conflict will sort itself out in some very surprising and creative ways. I' ve been here before!

So, I want to be quieter, more reflective, more eager to listen and to understand; and not just ideas, but people. If at this time next year I am feeling any satisfaction, even a measure of renewed contentment, I know it will be because I have found new ways to be with the folks who define the focus I'm out to discover.

How about you?

Happy New Year!
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