You are known by the company you keep.

If it catches the attention of our heart, then it is worthy of pursuit. That happens far less often.

You may still have to prioritize between all the things tugging at your heart, but you can at least screen out the worst of the shiny things.

Why is keeping your eye on what has captured your heart important? 

I imagine we have all been there. We have something near and dear to our heart, but then we blow it. We are distracted by something shiny. It catches our eye, and we lose focus. Our attention wanders, and we lose what our heart held dear.

It might have been a romance, or a job opportunity. It might have been a car or a house. It could have been pretty much anything. But we lost our focus, we were distracted, and we lost it. Sometimes we look back in time, but too often, sadly, we do not.

It can often be so much harder to get back than it was to get in the first place. And the loss is part of what we are trying to avoid by keeping our eye on what is important. Specifically, the things which have captured our hearts.

While it can be hard to avoid the distractions posed by the shiny things, if we are focused on something which has truly captured our heart, it should be much easier to stay focused. In that way, we can more easily pursue that which is worthy of our effort.

Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only , and to ensue discussion or debate.    

Thank you …Where can I apply this in my life?

That would largely depend on how easily distracted you are. If you can keep a laser-like focus on a topic, and never stray, then you already figured this one out. Those with a well developed sense of self-discipline are also probably doing what this urges.

The rest of us have some work ahead of us. It may take a while, but it can be done, or at least made much better. Even those of us who are kind of scatter-brained can still focus at times. Sometimes we get involved in something and just can’t let go.

Want to add word or two 

What does that mean?

To me, this is about choosing friends, acquaintances and associates. It asks who they are, and by extension, if they are the kind of people you want to be around.

What are the forces, the values and principles which guide them?

 In some particular situation, how will they respond and what will they do?

 Consider what they like to do and what they try not to do.

The implied question “are they right for you?”

Will they be the kind of person with whom you wish to be associated?

Will they give you the help and advice you need, or are their aims different from yours?

The implied question “are they right for you?”

Will they be the kind of person with whom you wish to be associated?

Will they give you the help and advice you need, or are their aims different from yours?

Your comment ….?

Sometimes it’s a TV show or a movie. Other times it’s a game on the computer or a console. But we can do it. We just have to train ourselves to keep the important things on our minds, in our sights, and foremost in our hearts. Then it is easy.

Think about your first time in love. That was something shiny, true, but it also captured your heart. How difficult was it to stop thinking about them so that you could do things like brush your teeth or do your homework? But somehow, over time, and through additional relationships, somehow that seems to fade.

But it isn’t always like that. However, we do need to focus, and apply a little self-discipline. Take a moment and consider what are some of your ‘shiny things,’ the things which catch your eye. Grab some paper and start a list of some of your personal challenges.

It might be something like a TV set, or a radio. Those distract me like nothing else. Are there specific shows or types of radio that get you all distracted?

What about smells? If there is some cooking going on, I can easily lose track of what I am supposed to be doing, how about you?

Or perhaps the internet?

I can start researching a post, and find that hours have gone by, as I am distracted by one shiny thing after another. Take a moment and see if you can come up with a few more and have a list of four to six things which tend to distract you.

What can you do to help with self-discipline?

Can you make a new habit?

If you know it is one of your shiny things, can you try to ask yourself how important is it?

Can you come up with a thought, a saying, or an action to remind you of what is truly important?

What can you do to remind yourself to pursue that which captured your heart?

Consider how wisdom might be misused or misapplied if the person considered wise has different values and principles than you. And what if they say wise things, but then avoid doing those very things, or if they pursue the opposite of their pronouncements?

True friendship and association should be carefully guarded. You are known by the company you keep. Make sure they have similar values and principles, or theirs may color the perceptions of others. Having similarity in what they will and will not do will help keep life smooth when it’s time to stop talking and start doing.