Proverbs 4:25-“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”
Years ago, when I returned home from my 5 week stay in a chemical dependency center, I hooked up with my first sponsor. I remember this like it was yesterday because what he did that day, though it seemed small to him, was about to change the course of my life forever.
I remember him asking me if I had a daily “planner system” that I worked off of. Of course my response was; “No, I’ve got a great memory and do not need a planner.” He then said if I wanted him to be my sponsor, I had to listen to him and he required his sponsorees to plan their weeks every Sunday and review them with him every Sunday evening.
So I decided to listen and slowly but surely I began to plan my weeks. Back then my plans were centered on my recovery as I went to AA meetings daily as well as intense outpatient counseling. Slowly but surely my plans started involving other responsibilities such as my family and job and then they eventually evolved into my current plans which are focused on my faith walk, my health, my family, my business, my profession and the recovery community.
I often chuckle when people comment on how disciplined I am because at my core I am as unfocused as anyone I know, but having a plan helps to keep my gaze “fixed” and my eyes focused straight ahead.
As I look back, planning was very difficult for me. I was a person that did not want to miss a thing and thus always liked to keep my schedule “open” while on the other hand it took effort to plan, and unless I liked what I was planning for I didn’t plan for it. This type of behavior was just another symptom of my challenges with ADHD but even more is a symptom many of us in recovery suffer from and that is a general lack of discipline.
Lack of discipline manifests itself in two very distinct yet opposite ways. Either a person is involved in way too many activities or they are not involved in anything. The first behavior creates a “manic” state of mind and the other creates a “depressed” state of mind.
So, what is the best way to get disciplined and avoid the emotional roller coaster ride a non-disciplined life creates? It is pretty simple, though often painful in the beginning…you need to get a PLAN!
Planning weekly and reviewing your plans daily for follow-thru and adjustments is the best way to achieve balance and be productive in a very unbalanced world. There is an amazing power that we receive whenever we write something down. For me it allows me to “fix my gaze directly before me” instead of all around me and it also allows me to get some amazing things done in the 168 hours God gives us each week.
If you find yourself distracted and not focused or possibly sitting on the “pity pot,” with nothing to do…try “fixing” your gaze by developing a plan. I guarantee your life will become more disciplined than you ever could have imagined.
And, oh yeah, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” (Proverbs 16:3 NIV).
P.E.A.C.E.
Jay@EagleLaunch.com
