In Others’ Words: Pay Attention!

Beth VogtIdentity, In Others' Words, lifequotes 4 Comments

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Pay Attention!

We hear those words a lot, don’t we?

Maybe someone says them to us … or maybe we’re the ones trying to get someone else to listen up, to focus … to pay attention to what we’re saying or what we’re doing.

We give our attention to what — and to who — is important. And so I think José Ortega y Gasset got it right when he said what we pay attention to tells us who we are. If we spend time and energy on something –or someone — that means we value them, right? Oh, sure, there are times we goof off (it’s called relaxing), but what about the things we devote time and effort to?

  • Our jobs
  • Our families
  • Our friends
  • Our ministries
  • Our exercise regimens
  • Our hobbies
  • Our faith

If someone asked, “What are you paying attention to right now?” What would they discover about you?

In Others’ Words: We could look at today’s quote and let it weigh us down or let it lift us up. Go easy on yourself. Take a look at your real or virtual To Do list and discover who you are. What does it say about you? What did you find out about yourself that you liked?

[Tweet “In Others’ Words: Pay Attention! #InOthersWords #lifequotes #payattention”] [Tweet “”Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are.” #quotes #JoseOrtegayGassett #payattention”]

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Comments 4

  1. What would someone discover about me if they saw my to-do list? That I’m behind on a deadline. 🙂 But that I will meet it. They would see that I take time to exercise. And that I while my car doesn’t need fuel, I’ll go fill up anyway because if I don’t, I’ll lose .10 a gallon. 😉

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  2. Such a great post, Beth. Hubs gave me time to write last night and who wanted to chat with me? One of the boys. I got frustrated with his interruptions. And then I realized, yes, I was given the gift of time . . . but perhaps I should have been more open as to how it was spent.I didn’t handle our interactions well. There are times when I should pay attention to writing. And there are times when I need to pay attention to my boys. And we all (my boys and me) need to learn what that balance looks like.

    As for my to-do list . . . lately it’s consisted of getting real life stuff done. Which isn’t all bad. Just don’t ask me about my attitude toward some of those items. 😉

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      Jeanne:
      I understand about embracing the interruptions to our plans … and struggling for emotions to line up with desires. I do. Sometimes it takes time and prayer. But I know your heart is to do the right thing — to love your family the best and first.

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