Creating Happiness and Focusing On The Things That Really Matter?

I have always watched people. Okay, not in a stalker, or night watchman type of way.  But you know what I mean. Put simply, I mean, watching people’s actions, observing how people respond to other people and situations and checking people for consistency. If I had to make a guess, I’d say my sociology degree from good old, SUNY Brockport College, is partially responsible for my passion for the study of people in groups. However, it certainly goes back further than that. I’ve always payed careful attention to people and although I can talk your ear off if given the chance, I’d much rather watch other people interact with each other. I generally listen more than I talk. So, I suppose it was not an  accident when I realized that lately,many people seem to either completely lack focus on anything or they’re focused on the wrong things altogether. As a whole, many people don’t seem to be focused on the big picture in life.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, in todays society people are pulled in so many different directions, is one reason for lack of focus on important things like family, relationships, education or other things that should have priority in ones life. This period of time is known as the “Age of Distraction.” Technology alone (cell phones, computers & laptops, internet, iPods, game systems) all can be major distractions in your life? Trust me, I know. Between my facebook profile (which I purposely neglect), and my facebook fan page, twitter and wordpress blog (all for business) things can get hectic. Do I think people abuse social networking sites? Absolutely. But that’s a different topic for a different day.

Okay… back to the original topic because afterall, this is a blog about lifestyle management. What is being big picture focused? Being big picture focused means focusing on the things in life that matter. Here it is in a nutshell: You can either set your eyes on the big things or get hung up by the nitty gritty details. The former will help you get a lot more out of life than the latter. Focus on the big rocks in life and put first things first.

Practice the 80/20 rule – focus on the 20% things that give you the 80% fulfillment in life. I guarantee this one change will increase your level of happiness.