Language informs the world for human beings.
That’s why my podcast, that’s why my career in language acquisition, education, training, advocacy, and coaching. Language is how we make sense of and move through the world. That’s what it means to be human.
Jenni Kilmore, my guest in podcast episode 54, uses the visualization of a blurry picture with a focused single point, and asks what we believe our focus to be, and then points out in a classroom that we need to back up and ask ourselves courageously if we are in fact acting as if that is our key focus, or if that focus is indeed worthy.
She may be in the moment speaking about classroom instruction, but she is in fact speaking about our world — always, but especially in these times of undeniable change, upheaval, transformation, and stress.
We in the world, in every country, in every area of work, service, participation, and leadership need to be asking: What is the clear focus center in this big picture for me, for my business, my organization, my students, my family, my faith community?
And once we define that, be courageous to ask: Are we, am I, planning, working, and engaging others to accomplish that focus?
Because after that, as Jenni notes, the “blurry part can come in and support all that, if you have the time.”
Ah, dear listeners, dear colleagues, dear fellow- travelers on this planet: this insight is directly from language. This insight that if we have no focus, we have no plan, we have no clear path, no clear point. How can pondering over this language insight on the power of focus bring relief and healing to societies wracked by stressed lives and deaths of despair?
When we find the focus, how can keeping our eye, effort, and time on that focus, on that purpose, not getting distracted, not getting muddled, bring about the new processes, systems, and patterns that must happen after a global pandemic changes our world forever?
How must we focus out time? We may have less time than we think.
It’s time for us, each and all, to find the focus. Time to place to one side the worthy but not essential. We can apply that later, as we have the luxury of time.
But in the classroom of life, the pandemic has changed everything, and we have to step back, find the focus, be courageous to act on what it implies, and work toward the fluency of life that will be needed for hope and prosperity in a shared new global life.
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