quotes tagged with 'focus' 
We become masters of our lives in the same way—by focusing on first things first. We all have a pretty good idea of the most important decisions we need to make—decisions that will improve our lives and bring us greater happiness and peace. That is where we should start. That is where we should place our greatest effort.
Each night before I go to bed, I take out a small card and write a list of the things I need to do the next day in order of their priority.
When I arrive at the office in the morning, I check my card and put all my efforts into the first item on the list. When I accomplish that item, I move on to the second and so on. Some days, I finish every item on my list. On other days, some tasks are not completed. I don't become discouraged, however, because I'm focusing my energies on the things that matter most.
You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.
That we do a lot may not be so important. That we focus the energy of our minds, our hearts, and our souls on those things of eternal significance--that is essential.
True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to righteous action. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “faith [is] the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness” and that it is also “the principle of action in all intelligent beings” (Lectures on Faith [1985], 1). Action alone is not faith in the Savior, but acting in accordance with correct principles is a central component of faith. Thus, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20).
Author: Elder David A. Bednar , Source: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-851-31,00.h...Saved by mlsscaress in revelation josephsmith faith action example focus works 8 months ago[save this] [permalink]Everything that we do in the Church should point us as individuals and as families to temple ordinances. All of the ordinances of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ invite us to improve our lives and to come to the Savior.
Author: NeIL J. ANDERSON, Source: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=11907&x=64&y=2Saved by mlsscaress in progress temple individual gospel focus family ordinances comeuntohim improve 8 months ago[save this] [permalink]If I were to ask you about the mission of the Church, I hope you would not say it is to proclaim the gospel and redeem the dead and perfect the Saints. That is not the mission of the Church. The mission of the Church is to invite all to come unto Christ. There is a perfect alignment between the central message and the invitation of the Book of Mormon and the overarching mission of the Church. We perform the work of inviting all to come unto Christ in three major arenas. If we are inviting those who have not yet received the ordinance of baptism to come unto Christ, we are proclaiming the gospel. If we are inviting those to come unto Christ who have already received the ordinance of baptism, we are laboring to perfect the Saints. And if we are assisting those who have passed through the veil to come unto Christ, we are redeeming the dead. There is only one work: inviting all to come unto Christ.
Author: Elder David A. Bednar, Source: http://www.byui.edu/Presentations/transcripts/religionsymposiu...Saved by mlsscaress in christ focus mission message invitation 9 months ago[save this] [permalink]The Spirit has taught that Satan doesn’t have to tempt us to do bad things. He can accomplish much of his objective by distracting us with many acceptable things, thus keeping us from accomplishing the essential ones. We need to frustrate that distraction by identifying what is critically important in our lives. We must give the cream of our effort to accomplish those things. Where there is limited time or resources, this pattern may require that some good activities must be set aside.
Author: Richard G. Scott, Source: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=11954Saved by richardkmiller in effort focus time good bad best distraction better 10 months ago[save this] [permalink]Too much, too many, and too often of what you want becomes what you don't want. This is true of possessions and even time. Lifestyle Design is thus not interested in creating an excess of idle time, which is poisonous, but the positive use of free time, defined simply as doing what you want as opposed to what you feel obligated to do.
Author: Tim Ferriss, Source: The Four Hour Work Week, p. 35Saved by mlsscaress in positive focus time less possessions lifestyledesign obligated excited 10 months ago[save this] [permalink]Doing less meaningless work, so that you can focus on things of greater personal importance, is NOT laziness. This is hard for most to accept, because our culture tends to reward personal sacrifice instead of personal productivity,
Author: Tim Ferriss, Source: The Four Hour Work Week, p32Saved by mlsscaress in sacrifice productivity reward focus less 10 months ago[save this] [permalink]Can't find a good quote on focus? Try searching ScriptureTag!