Pay Attention!
We hear those words a lot, don’t we?
Maybe someone says them to us … or maybe we’re the ones trying to get someone else to listen up, to focus … to pay attention to what we’re saying or what we’re doing.
We give our attention to what — and to who — is important. And so I think José Ortega y Gasset got it right when he said what we pay attention to tells us who we are. If we spend time and energy on something –or someone — that means we value them, right? Oh, sure, there are times we goof off (it’s called relaxing), but what about the things we devote time and effort to?
- Our jobs
- Our families
- Our friends
- Our ministries
- Our exercise regimens
- Our hobbies
- Our faith
If someone asked, “What are you paying attention to right now?” What would they discover about you?
In Others’ Words: We could look at today’s quote and let it weigh us down or let it lift us up. Go easy on yourself. Take a look at your real or virtual To Do list and discover who you are. What does it say about you? What did you find out about yourself that you liked?
[Tweet “In Others’ Words: Pay Attention! #InOthersWords #lifequotes #payattention”] [Tweet “”Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are.” #quotes #JoseOrtegayGassett #payattention”]
NYT Bestselling author Rachel Hauck and I are celebrating our Christy Awards with a fun giveaway! You can join the fun here!
[Tweet “Authors @RachelHauck and @bethvogt celebrate their @ChristyAward wins with a fun #giveaway! http://bit.ly/29397eq #chrisfic “]
Comments 4
What would someone discover about me if they saw my to-do list? That I’m behind on a deadline. 🙂 But that I will meet it. They would see that I take time to exercise. And that I while my car doesn’t need fuel, I’ll go fill up anyway because if I don’t, I’ll lose .10 a gallon. 😉
Author
I’m confident you will meet your deadline, Pat! I’m so excited you’re writing another book. 🙂
Such a great post, Beth. Hubs gave me time to write last night and who wanted to chat with me? One of the boys. I got frustrated with his interruptions. And then I realized, yes, I was given the gift of time . . . but perhaps I should have been more open as to how it was spent.I didn’t handle our interactions well. There are times when I should pay attention to writing. And there are times when I need to pay attention to my boys. And we all (my boys and me) need to learn what that balance looks like.
As for my to-do list . . . lately it’s consisted of getting real life stuff done. Which isn’t all bad. Just don’t ask me about my attitude toward some of those items. 😉
Author
Jeanne:
I understand about embracing the interruptions to our plans … and struggling for emotions to line up with desires. I do. Sometimes it takes time and prayer. But I know your heart is to do the right thing — to love your family the best and first.