I purchased bi-focal sunglasses the other day.  I needed something to wear as I was mowing.  I can see long distances really well, but I am struggling to see my phone.  It’s maddening at times, but I am by no means the first person to deal with this.  (Be careful making fun younger folks, Father Time is undefeated).

When I wore them the first few times, I struggled to use them properly.  I would get a text message and lean forward to see it better.  The problem is, that motion moves the lenses the wrong way.  By moving toward the phone, I am working against the tool I just bought to help me.  I need to lean back so I put the lenses in front of the words I want to read.

I need to fight my natural tendencies.

In order to get the words and the lenses of the bifocals to line up, I need to do the opposite of what comes naturally.  And over time, as I get used to this new action, I am sure that will “become natural.”

That happens sometimes in life too, right?

For most of our lives, we might have a natural reaction to something in our lives.  It’s our “go-to response” in certain situations.  Then, if we are introspective, we realize that our natural tendency is not helping.  It’s taking us further away from where we want to go.  And we need to adjust.

• When someone offends us online, we might feel the need to attack.  That could be our natural tendency.  But is it helping?
• Our spouse has an idea to start a company, but it scares us. Our natural tendency might be to tell them “it will never work.”  But are we frustrating them and holding them back?
• We get a big paycheck, so we head out and blow it on a night on the town.  It might be fun, but are we building for the future we want?

Sometimes we just have to ask ourselves if our natural tendencies are leading us to the life we want to lead.  If not, then it might be time to implement a new practice, until it starts to feel natural.

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