Focus and Rise to the Occasion

By Susan “Honey” Good

Your serenity and your peace of mind depend on how well you focus. Rising to the occasion with aplomb takes some doing, and I think women are geniuses at rising to each occasion in different ways.

It is second nature to us, and each time we succeed, we make another deposit in the bank that is our confidence. So congratulate yourselves, darlings, we are the Queens of handling the unexpected. My question is, do you do it with finesse? And, if so what is your method?

I rise to each occasion with style, my style. You have your style, too. I like to use the word style because it is sexy. It makes me smile. It makes rising to my occasions easier.

What is my style?

I fear not. I am Mrs. Optimism, personified. I see my result. The most important part of my style is: FOCUS.

Women have inexhaustible demands. So, my darlings, if you do not want to feel conflicted and in a perpetual state of panic and you are having trouble rising to your occasion, you should acquire the ability to FOCUS.

For myself, being a stylish woman takes time. Walking my three-month-old pooch, America, seven times a day, with the help of my ultimate concierge, takes time. My husband, my ultimate concierge, needs his mane patted and that takes a lot of time, darlings!

Two evenings ago, I had eight women at our home for a multigenerational group get together. That took a lot of my time. On the same day, California Closets was working to complete our storage room makeover and on top of that …I was up half the night before writing my musings with soft Hawaiian music in the background. Focus kept me level-headed. I was able to think under pressure.

I have learned that the faster I run if I am not FOCUSED, the more conflicted I become. Therefore my goal is to be as centered as possible. When I am centered, I can FOCUS. Focusing creates a positive, centered feeling. It is healing.

It is easier to focus when you feel you are at home with yourself and your lifestyle. So, try and delete nonsense and focus on what is sensible.

How to focus

I make lists, in order of importance, and I use all of my willpower to tackle my list in the order I wrote it. It is easy to falter. But I find it far easier to rise to the occasion when I prioritize.

Life is full of the improbable and impossible. This is where optimism plays its hand. I know because my cockeyed optimism is the cure-all for me. I see an impossible or unlikely as a learning experience; not a detriment. Coping and focusing go hand in hand.

I will not allow fear to stop me from rising to any occasion. Rise above your fear, darlings. Fear is never anyone’s path to a decent outcome.

Self-doubt can lead to fear, but you can do this…whatever this is. If you feel overwhelmed, ask a significant other or dear friend to help keep you on task. Or, keep yourself focused by asking one simple question, are you doing the most important thing right now…with focus?

Lastly, my darlings, stay inspired! Inspiration is the key to exuding the energy that you need to achieve all that we have to do in our kingdoms. Focus on how lucky you are to have a full plate, the excitement that you have in your life – from things both small and large – and the visibility and vibrancy you feel as the Queen of your sometimes chaotic, often complicated and always charming castles.

Susan “Honey” Good is the founder of HoneyGood.com where this blog originally appeared. The site is a collection of lessons learned, life advice and insights from not only her, but from a fantastic group of contributing writers, each adding their own spice to the recipe. Honey Good.com representing “a family tree of women” — wives, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, sisters, aunts, cousins and girlfriends — coming together to talk about what makes them tick as well as what they have in common. Honey Good discusses life experiences with wisdom, humor and intellect, enabling all to attain a “Honey Good Style of Life.”