I had just completed three days of transformational training with the Deeper Path Team and taking a walk sounded like a good way to decompress and reflect.  John Maxwell’s rule of five includes “thinking” every day.  Walking is a good opportunity for me to think.

I had never been to the state of Ohio before and whenever I visit a new place, I really enjoy seeing the sites.  I am not talking about the sites that you will find in the brochures or the local Chamber of Commerce.  I am talking about simply walking through the neighborhood and seeing how this place is different than the one I live in every day.

Have you ever been somewhere you have never been before and had to force yourself to focus slightly more than when you are in a place you know?  Houses, cars, and big box stores are all there but sometimes the slightest little changes will catch your attention.  Why?  Because you are more focused on your environment.

This walk was no different.  I was walking through a neighborhood close to my hotel and noticed that someone had pruned a bunch of tree branches and piled them up along the street between the curb and sidewalk.

I am not sure but I guess maybe they are going to get picked up and recycled as wood debris.  But it made me think.  Someone had taken the time to prune a tree and the thought that crossed my mind was that maybe I need to prune some stuff in my life.

PRUNING THE DEAD STUFF

If you really gave it some thought, there are probably some things in your life that no longer serve any purpose.  Maybe it is something you put on the shelf eight years ago because someday you might need it and yet someday has never arrived.  Maybe it’s a relationship that has become so one-sided that all it has become is a drain on you emotionally.

Ha, maybe it’s that sweatshirt you are not willing to give up but if you were honest with yourself, you would see it has no life left in it.  The point is that we all have something that is consuming some part of our lives that is serving no purpose.  They are different for everyone but you know what they are.  They are taking up space that is needed for the things that are important.  Identify them and take them to the curb!

PRUNING THE THINGS THAT ARE WEAKENING YOUR CORE

You know that shrub in your yard that grows like crazy at the fist sign of spring – the one where that branches grow like six inches as day? It seems to me that all the energy is going to grow all the stuff on the outer edges, but what is going on at the core.  I don’t know a whole lot about plants but I do know that if you cut some of those branched back, the core of the plant grows hardier.

That made me think about where I am putting my energy in my life.  How much is being spent on the other edges?  The stuff that grows real fast and then dies off in the fall.  What if we cut back all those distractions and focused on our core?  I think all of us have things that offer short term satisfaction but ultimately keep us from building a stronger core.  If you feel your core is weak, take a look at where you are focusing your energy.

A final thought and a question … Columbus, Ohio in March can be a little on the chilly side and as I went about my walk, I pulled up the hood of my sweatshirt to keep warm. Did you ever notice that when you have your hood on, your vision is limited to a smaller window.  You no longer can see those peripheral distractions that compromise our core. The question … What are you using to keep your focus on the things that matter?

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Barry Smith   www.buildingwhatmatters.com      3/18/13            photo by author