Emphasis — Focusing on the Goal

In design, the emphasis of a work gets noticed first. It’s what draws the viewer’s attention into the piece — the focal point. The emphasis is the concentration of all elements to promote the piece’s concept. In other words, emphasis is the “goal” of the designer.

In life, our emphasis is what gets our attention, or what matters the most to us. It’s what we are passionate about, our “why?”, our direction, our GOAL.

The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy in life is having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disgrace to not reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is a sin. –Benjamin Mays, former Dean of the School of Religion at Howard University

For us to lead others, we must first know where we are going. We must find our direction, our purpose, our goal. If we aim at nothing, we are sure to hit the target.

What is your dream, goal, vision, purpose? What do you intend to emphasize with your time to make your life and the lives of others more meaningful? Writing a personal mission statement can help you answer these questions.

If you’re stuck, wondering what to emphasize in your life, try the following suggestions:

• First of all, pray. Ask God to guide you and listen for His answer.
• Make a dream list of things you wish to accomplish in life. A “bucket list” of sorts.
• Investigate what needs to be done. How do your personal dreams fit into the needs surrounding you?
• Consider your talents. Evaluate them and see which of your abilities fit in with the dreams and needs you’ve discovered.
• Determine what you enjoy doing and are willing to do. Ensure you’re selecting YOUR goal and not someone else’s. Even if you find a need and have the talent to fulfill it, if you’re not willing to follow through with the work necessary to complete the task, you will only become frustrated and feel like a failure.

The above exercise should help you determine what it is in life you can do/become to make a difference in your world.

Distractions abound in life. Visualizations and affirmations can help you maintain emphasis on your purpose.