{"id":546,"date":"2020-01-01T13:49:02","date_gmt":"2020-01-01T13:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/?p=546"},"modified":"2023-07-06T17:48:34","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T17:48:34","slug":"focus-with-one-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/2020\/01\/01\/focus-with-one-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Focus&#8230;with ONE word"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u201cResolutions of New Year\u201d are quickly approaching.&nbsp; It is a time for a fresh start or a \u201cclean\u201d slate. When the clock changes from 2019 to 2020, you want to do \u201cthings\u201d better in the New Year. We want and desire change.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Resolutions though do NOT have a high rate of success.&nbsp; As a matter of fact, research has shown that only around 10% of adults keep them after a few months.&nbsp; I know for me personally, I fall into the 90% of failure MOST years. My intentions may be there, but I don\u2019t set realistic ones in the areas I usually want to change (spiritually, relationship wise, career, and self-care).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to spend ______ minutes in scripture each day.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to lose ______ lbs.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to wake up and work out at 4:30 4 times a week.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;I want to go on ___ date nights per month with my husband.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of these are GOOD goals, but\u2026&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>My list of things to change tended to be the same list of things to change the following year as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I wanted to be the jar of clay and molded. (Isaiah 64:8).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I wanted to be willing to change, but I wasn\u2019t doing. (Phillip. 2:13)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And with that said I believed I failed because of the approach.&nbsp; My goals were unrealistic. My goals were sometimes hindered because there were just some things out of my control. And&#8230;I just wasn\u2019t focused.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A couple of years ago, that changed.&nbsp; I was challenged to read a book titled <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One Word That Will Change Your Life<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Dan Britton, Jimmy Page, and Jon Gordon as a summer read before school started back in session again.&nbsp; Everyone in the secondary faculty at MTCS read it&#8212; It is short (around 144 pages of a SMALL-sized book), and it was like the words jumped out and spoke to me. We were asked to \u201cchoose\u201d one for the school year to keep us grounded and in-check as the year progressed and the chaos continued.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The book shows research of resolutions and the high failure rate and found that for them, simplifying the process worked for them&#8230;by just choosing ONE word for the year.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I thought about the person I wanted to be at the end of the year.&nbsp; What characteristic did I want to \u201cown?\u201d So, I prayed, looked, and researched for a word that would move me towards this\u2026One that could help me in ALL-aspects of my life&#8211;my relationship with God, my relationship with my husband and children, my friendships, my career, and self-care. It would help guide me to the person I wanted to be.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And one jumped out at me&#8211;<\/span><b>-ANCHORED<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. (Hebrews 6:19)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I was putting on new hats that year career-wise&#8211;back into coaching after an over-decade break, yearbook adviser, secondary teacher.&nbsp; Life was about to be BUSY.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But if I wasn\u2019t ANCHORED to Him, what did it matter?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If our family wasn\u2019t ANCHORED, what did it matter?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If my friendships weren\u2019t ANCHORED, what did it matter?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If I wasn\u2019t ANCHORED to take care of myself, what did it matter?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We painted a rock and put the word across it to set on our desk at school.&nbsp; I had it posted at home. The word stuck\u2026.and many opportunities were given to me that year that challenged the thought of being \u201canchored.\u201d&nbsp; At the end of the year, I had made changes for the better because of simplifying all those resolutions into ONE word and moving my thoughts to the characteristic I wanted to become.&nbsp; (Hence, the closing at every blog post is Anchored to Him \ud83d\ude42 &#8211;and now you know the REST of the story with that)&#8230;&#8230;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the next year&#8230;a new word transpired that actually BUILT UPON the previous one.&nbsp; <\/span><b>TRANSFORMED\u2026.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IF I was anchored to Him, I have to be \u201ctransformed\u201d from the world (Romans 12)\u2026.Not the world\u2019s expectations, but God\u2019s.&nbsp; And once again, many opportunities have been given to me in 2019 that has challenged the thought of \u201cTransformed\u201d&#8230;.through my relationship with Him, my family, my friendships, and self-care.&nbsp; I have eaten better, taken care of myself better, been challenged on the sideline when I might be upset at a ref and should act different(Yes&#8230;and sometimes not successful)&#8230;.and been encouraged to dig into the TRUTH more to understand His expectations instead of the ones looming around us that are accepted but lies.&nbsp; Do I have a ways to go and will this word ever not be a challenge? NO! We live in the world but are citizens of heaven\u2026&#8230;We will be tempted to live by the standards of the world as long as we are alive here on this planet\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choosing ONE word to put the lens on has simplified my \u201cresolutions\u201d.&nbsp; It has focused my growth to the characteristic I want to have. I have seen growth.&nbsp; I have faced setbacks. But, I have seen change.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your characteristic you may want to be at the end of the year may be more like: thrive, joy, authentic, intentional, simplify, seek, love, kindness, growth, obedience, grace\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pick one.&nbsp; Let it be your FOCUSED word for the year.&nbsp; And when the clock is about to turn to 2021, reflect.&nbsp; See how much you have changed, for the better.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anchored to Him,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leigh Ann<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">P.S. My 2020 word is CONTEND&#8211;JUDE 3 \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201cResolutions of New Year\u201d are quickly approaching.&nbsp; It is a time for a fresh start or a \u201cclean\u201d slate. When the clock changes from 2019 to 2020, you want to do \u201cthings\u201d better in the New Year. We want and desire change.&nbsp;&nbsp; Resolutions though do NOT have a high rate of success.&nbsp; As a matter of fact, research has shown that only around 10% of adults keep them after a few months.&nbsp; I know for me personally, I fall into the 90% of failure MOST years. My intentions may be there, but I don\u2019t set realistic ones in the areas I usually want to change (spiritually, relationship wise, career, and self-care).&nbsp;&nbsp; I want to spend ______ minutes in scripture each day.&nbsp;&nbsp; I want to lose ______ lbs.&nbsp;&nbsp; I want to wake up and work out at 4:30 4 times a week.&nbsp; &nbsp;I want to go on ___ date nights per month with my husband.&nbsp;&nbsp; All of these are GOOD goals, but\u2026&#8230; My list of things to change tended to be the same list of things to change the following year as well.&nbsp;&nbsp; I wanted to be the jar of clay and molded. (Isaiah 64:8).&nbsp;&nbsp; I wanted to be willing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[67],"tags":[224,178,93,170,223,68,136,81,79,118,112],"class_list":["post-546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-224","tag-anchored","tag-anchoredinhim","tag-god","tag-oneword","tag-shelteredingrace","tag-wisdom","tag-bible","tag-christ","tag-growth","tag-love"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shelteredingrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/wordcloud-2019-sheltered.jpg?fit=851%2C315&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1860,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546\/revisions\/1860"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shelteredingrace.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}