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Whatever You Focus On, You Will Become

Listen to this episode of the Focus with Marlene Podcast


As I begin this Threads of Life series, I would like to give some background on why FOCUS is so important and why it is the name I chose for my company, my motto, and my website.

When my husband and I took early retirement from teaching in Oregon, we moved to northern Washington to build our dream home and spend time sailing in the San Juan Islands.

My husband joined a group of talented musicians who played in a local rehearsal band and I returned to teaching part time at Chapman University Extension Center. However, long evening class hours prompted me to leave the formal classroom for good and start giving workshops and classes in ADHD parenting, pain management, stress management and communication.

I love working with people in small group settings and individually and wanted to extend my workshops to local businesses in my community. It seemed more expedient to work under a company name.

But what should I call this “company” of one (me)? One name kept coming up: FOCUS.

It represented what I believed in: that your focus in life will determine what you do, who you are and who you can become.

Energy is generated by our focus.

If you focus on anger, resentment, or grievances, your life will reflect that. But if you focus on learning new and better ways to live, problem solving, communication and positive thinking, you will begin to realize your goals in every area of your life.

Informational tools for problem-solving

Whatever You Focus on, You Will Become | focuswithmarlene.com

I have observed many times as a counselor, teacher, and small group facilitator the difference good information can have in the lives of people when they take proven strategies and apply them to their lives.

With these informational “tools” we can begin to resolve problems and reshape and define our lives in proactive rather than reactive ways.

I believe all of us want to live happier and less stressful lives but find it difficult to sort through the self-help books to find what works and what does not.

Benefits of living by pre-determined principles based on wisdom

Man's Search for MeaningAs we learn about ways to enrich our lives, it gives us a greater opportunity to determine how to live based on what is right for us. The more we live by predetermined principles based on wisdom versus spur-of-the-moment actions, the more purposeful our lives will become.

At any given moment we have the ability to choose how we will respond to life; in fact, we cannot not choose.

As Viktor Frankl said in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, the last thing anyone can ever take away from us is our ability to choose our responses to whatever is happening in life. As a survivor of the concentration camps during the Second World War, he could speak to that with authority.

Where is your focus?

At any point in time, we can stop and ask ourselves, where am I placing my focus? Is it something that will improve my life, allow me to laugh more, respond with compassion to others in need and bring joy to myself and others? Only we can decide.


Learning to Live Again in a New World, by Marlene Anderson | focuswithmarlene.comLearning to Live Again in a New World

We need validation for the turmoil of thoughts and emotions we experience. But we also need the tools necessary to create a new beginning that is both satisfying and meaningful. My book, Learning to Live Again in a New World, offers those tools to help work through the problems you might be facing.

It is a guide to help you through the ups and downs of grieving a significant loss. And it includes a study guide at the end for use with groups.

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