I really feel strongly about the importance of people regularly taking a look at life and asking the question, “Who really am I, and where am I going?”

This applies to people of any age. And I realize the answer is not always easy or obvious, especially for young people.

Who you are also changes over time. With time, you evolve.

And that’s obvious when I look at my son, Madden. Who he was merely one year ago is not the same person as he is now. (And that sure is evident when I stand next to him and realize he now towers over me!!)

But the point is that we are all evolving, and in any given year, we all experience a lot. It is really a good practice to take an audit once in a while of where your current focus is carrying you.

Periodically, ask yourself: What is important to me? What do I want from this next chapter?

This applies to literally every single area of your life. 

It applies whether you are still in school or well into your career. When you are looking at joining an organization or moving to a new neighborhood, it applies. When you are making decisions in your personal life, it applies. Basically, when you are looking at changing focus in any area of your life, even as simple as what your daily schedule looks like, it applies.

In every area, you can look at the bigger picture and ask: Where will this focus take me? What do I want out of my decision to focus on this? What are my hopes for how the future is shaping up in this area? What is most important to me right now? 

What do I hope for in this next chapter of my life? Who do I want to be? How will I influence others, and how will I be influenced?

Those are all critical questions to ask yourself, and the answers will be different for everyone. It boils down to what you want to see in your future as a result of a change in focus in that area. It doesn’t have to be a tangible “result,” either. Your answer could be the type of people you want to be around or the feeling the new focus will create for you.

I started thinking about this again the other day when John and I started taking Madden on high school tours. Madden is facing a big step in where he attends high school. And you already know we are always very intentional about how we raise our kids. So, we realize that when he goes to high school, he’s going to be in an entirely new environment, surrounded by new people, making new friends, and studying new subjects.

While we’re considering the obvious factors, such as whether a school has a good balance of academics and athletics, so many other elements are coming into consideration as well, such as diversity.

Young people often just sort of live in a bubble, so easily influenced (and so much of it is not good) that they don’t realize the power they have to shape their futures. With Madden, John and I want him to know his power. So, we are being very intentional as we think through how the focus and environment of each school will shape his future.

When we were younger, we didn’t have as many options. But one thing we know for sure is that our focus in the present moment impacts how the future shapes up. For both John and me, it’s held true in all areas of our lives. We have always been intentional about our focus and where it is taking us in our lives.

So, as we guide Madden into his next significant chapter in life, we keep asking all of these critical questions again while also helping Madden see the power he has in really owning his future through today’s decisions. 

Are you already thinking of holiday gifts? Look at what I made for you at my ETSY shop!