Focus.

It’s a small word. It only has 5 letters. It has 2 vowels. But, man does it have a big punch! Are you at all like me…..with a million mental tabs open at once, and your personal operating system just goes into overdrive or, your mind just spins and spins and spins? Sometimes I expect to hear ‘recalculating’ in my head. Or see ‘this app is no longer responding’.

This is my 1st installment of my year-long journey with my own personal ‘One Little Word’. Last week I wrote a post explaining this project by Ali Edwards.

Since my supplies arrived, and it is now January, I thought I should get started. The video below shows my process with a few ‘how to’s’. I am trying to marry mini-scrapbooking with my love of card making…..and use a bunch of the supplies that I already own.

So, what am I planning to do with this word? Well, I really am not sure. I set up a little table in my upstairs hallway – it is my Quiet Time Table. There will be NO craft supplies, to do lists, calendars or anything else on that table. I will sit and reflect. Hopefully everyday but if not, at least 3-4 times a week. I will reflect on my yesterdays, todays and tomorrows. I will reflect on my word and I will read about my Jesus.

I don’t necessarily want to slow down. I want to keep going. At the end of this year, as I look back, I would like to see that my time was more intentional and better spent. I have not really defined what that looks like yet. I do know a few things:

• I want to focus on Positively Jane
  • to reach more women
  • provide content that will help women navigate life
    
• I want to focus on my family
  • to be present when they are around
    
• I want to focus on my friends
  • to have more lunch dates or craft sessions
    
• I want to focus on me
  • to eat better and sleep better (and maybe lose 15 pounds too)

I do think tho, as I type this, my main ‘focus’ is to be intentional. To NOT eat all the things, craft all the things, schedule all the things, watch all the things. Sometimes I will need to focus on the NOT’s.

I need to change the lens that I am looking through. I am just not sure how to do that yet.

So, what about you? What would your word be? What would you like to focus on? What do you like about you and your life? What don’t you like? What would you like to change?

Want to join me? It is NOT too late. Ali has some great on-line classes and tutorials (she is not paying me).

You do NOT need to make a scrapbook if you don’t want to. Some people buy Moleskines and capture their thoughts in them. Or they buy a Traveller’s Journal. Or, you can use a pad and paper. Or type in your computer. The ultimate goal is for you (and me) to show up…..consistently. Write it down….and then look back and see.

The video (above) explains what I did…and why.

This is a 6 x 8 album. There are many different styles and sizes to choose from. My daughter-in-law, Sydney, chose the 3 x 8.

The One Little Word (OLW) kit comes with the transparent dividers, the transparent hearts and all of the pages for journaling. There is also a mini-kit, stamp sets, and embellishments.

The OLW 2020 class is very inexpensive. Ali will send out videos monthly with a prompt (idea) for the month. It also includes the digital files that you can download, print and hand write or type and then print out. I will definitely type next time!

I cut the large ‘FOCUS” with 2 alphabet sets that I have in my stash. The white one Is Concord & 9th Tall Type. The black one is The Stamp Marked Skinny Alpha.

There are 7 of these little cards to journal on. The months of the year are printed on transparent sheets that fit in the page protectors. January was white – I colored it with a black sharpie.

Because each page has a back I found that I need to be intentional with the other side too.

The page protectors come with the album. I know I will need to order more.