Welcome to week 3 of our deep dive into the topic "FOCUS". Our first week, Sonja shared this perspective:
"Focus" can be understood as a state of mental clarity and directed intention. It involves:
- concentration: The ability to direct all of your mental energy towards a single task, idea, or goal, blocking out distractions.
- Presence: Being fully engaged in the present moment, without your mind wandering to other thoughts, worries, or distractions.
- Purpose: A deeper sense of focus is often tied to a sense of purpose or meaning. When someone is truly focused, it often means they are aligned with something that is deeply important to them, whether it's a goal, a value, or a passion.
Focus can also relate to mindfulness and awareness, where being focused means having a clear, calm, and centered mind. It is about tuning into the present moment, being aware of one’s thoughts, feelings, and environment, and not letting the mind be scattered or preoccupied by unnecessary distractions.
Week 2 was shared by Cheryl, and she says this: I've been an avid photographer for so many years and I remember when we had to focus our cameras - it wasn't automatic. That was back in the Dark Ages before digital - and what a joy when we turned that ring, and the subject came into focus.
So, this week, I want to focus on more of the life lessons and choices. We live our lives with so much noise around that sometimes it's very hard to be present to the moment. Webster's Dictionary defines Focus as such: 1. : to concentrate attention or effort. focus on the most pressing needs. 2. : to adjust one's eye or a camera to a particular range.
This week I want us to focus on the places in our lives that we have made a focus, or that we need to make a focus, or what we are trying to take our focus FROM, and bring it to a new place of comfort and positivity! Many years ago, my brother shared with me a book that really changed his life called "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. One of the ways the author teaches one to be in "The NOW' is this:
This is how you can practice The Power Of Now:
Some Quotes:
When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.
Joel Osteen
Choose to focus your time, energy and conversation around people who inspire you, support you and help you to grow you into your happiest, strongest, wisest self
Karen Salmansohn
Focus on what lights a fire inside of you and use that passion to fill a white space. Don't be afraid of the challenges, the missteps, and the setbacks along the way. What matters is that you keep going.
Kendra Scott
Every day is a gift from God. Learn to focus on the Giver and enjoy the gift!
Joyce Meyer
Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.
Eckhart Tolle
A mood/quote board to get some creative juices going:
Here is my page:
You can choose to do a single page each week, or do a divided template - one part for each week. If you don't have the Divided Template and would like to have it, you can get it here at Dropbox. Thank you to Ona @wombat146 for providing the template choices for us! If you do the template, we would love it if you would post it incrementally. Post one done in the first week, post an image of the two together on the second, and three on the third, and then the finished page on the fourth week.
Again - the template is NEVER a requirement to use, just something fun and different if you want to use it.
Everyone who participates in any of this month's challenges will be entered into a drawing for a $5 gift certificate to Oscraps. You can receive up to four entries into this month's drawing.
I can't wait to see what you have to share about the prompt FOCUS
Challenge Rules:
You have until 11:59 p.m. CST on SEPTEMBER 30th to complete your pages for this challenge.
Upload your layout to the gallery first. In your forum post click the Gallery Embed icon (little camera).
This will open your gallery, simply click on the layout you require, then scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click the Continue button.
Your linked layout is now in your post, the image will appear once you have clicked the Post Reply button
"Focus" can be understood as a state of mental clarity and directed intention. It involves:
- concentration: The ability to direct all of your mental energy towards a single task, idea, or goal, blocking out distractions.
- Presence: Being fully engaged in the present moment, without your mind wandering to other thoughts, worries, or distractions.
- Purpose: A deeper sense of focus is often tied to a sense of purpose or meaning. When someone is truly focused, it often means they are aligned with something that is deeply important to them, whether it's a goal, a value, or a passion.
Focus can also relate to mindfulness and awareness, where being focused means having a clear, calm, and centered mind. It is about tuning into the present moment, being aware of one’s thoughts, feelings, and environment, and not letting the mind be scattered or preoccupied by unnecessary distractions.
Week 2 was shared by Cheryl, and she says this: I've been an avid photographer for so many years and I remember when we had to focus our cameras - it wasn't automatic. That was back in the Dark Ages before digital - and what a joy when we turned that ring, and the subject came into focus.
So, this week, I want to focus on more of the life lessons and choices. We live our lives with so much noise around that sometimes it's very hard to be present to the moment. Webster's Dictionary defines Focus as such: 1. : to concentrate attention or effort. focus on the most pressing needs. 2. : to adjust one's eye or a camera to a particular range.
This week I want us to focus on the places in our lives that we have made a focus, or that we need to make a focus, or what we are trying to take our focus FROM, and bring it to a new place of comfort and positivity! Many years ago, my brother shared with me a book that really changed his life called "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. One of the ways the author teaches one to be in "The NOW' is this:
This is how you can practice The Power Of Now:
- Take a few conscious breaths. In and out.
- Try to feel your hands. Feel the energy within them.
- Try to feel your whole body. ...
- Try to listen to the silence around you. ...
- Accept everything as it is now. ...
- Try to observe your own mind.
Some Quotes:
When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.
Joel Osteen
Choose to focus your time, energy and conversation around people who inspire you, support you and help you to grow you into your happiest, strongest, wisest self
Karen Salmansohn
Focus on what lights a fire inside of you and use that passion to fill a white space. Don't be afraid of the challenges, the missteps, and the setbacks along the way. What matters is that you keep going.
Kendra Scott
Every day is a gift from God. Learn to focus on the Giver and enjoy the gift!
Joyce Meyer
Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.
Eckhart Tolle
A mood/quote board to get some creative juices going:
Here is my page:
You can choose to do a single page each week, or do a divided template - one part for each week. If you don't have the Divided Template and would like to have it, you can get it here at Dropbox. Thank you to Ona @wombat146 for providing the template choices for us! If you do the template, we would love it if you would post it incrementally. Post one done in the first week, post an image of the two together on the second, and three on the third, and then the finished page on the fourth week.
Again - the template is NEVER a requirement to use, just something fun and different if you want to use it.
Everyone who participates in any of this month's challenges will be entered into a drawing for a $5 gift certificate to Oscraps. You can receive up to four entries into this month's drawing.
I can't wait to see what you have to share about the prompt FOCUS
Challenge Rules:
You have until 11:59 p.m. CST on SEPTEMBER 30th to complete your pages for this challenge.
- To qualify for the drawing, you need to use 80% Oscraps products that are currently in the store (non-Oscraps products or retired O designer products can be used whether the designer is selling elsewhere or not).
- You need to credit all the products used on your page.
- You cannot use a page you create for this challenge for another Oscraps challenge.
- Upload your page to the Art Journal Gallery and then add your layout to the challenge thread. (Below you will find instructions on adding your page to this thread.)
Upload your layout to the gallery first. In your forum post click the Gallery Embed icon (little camera).
This will open your gallery, simply click on the layout you require, then scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click the Continue button.
Your linked layout is now in your post, the image will appear once you have clicked the Post Reply button
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