FOCUS

Are you looking back with regret at all of the things you did not accomplish in the past year? Instead of doing that, look forward to what you will accomplish in this new year, by being focused. Focus is one of the most important ingredients in successful goal achievement.

Formulate your goals. “Begin with the end in mind”, Steven Covey. If you don’t know where you want to go, how will you know when you get there? When you focus you see what is important and you can concentrate on it. What you focus on will expand – if you focus on the negative you will see more negatives. Race car drivers are trained to never look at the wall, or that’s where their vehicle will go. Focus on your positive outcomes and don’t be distracted by the negatives.

Optimize your resources. Focus concentrates your attention, making you much more effective at accomplishing your goals. It reduces the impact of distraction and energizes your performance. Think of light as it is normally scattered – it illuminates. When light shines through a magnifying glass, the rays become more focused and generate enough energy to start a fire.

Clarify your intentions. Think of what happens to the image as you set a camera properly. It goes from a fuzzy blur to a crystal clear picture. Clearly focusing on your goals gives a vision over the long term. Focus frees you to take the natural and progressive steps to achieve your goals. You can be responsive to your environment and make choices in the moment. Focusing on a clear vision defines a direction without dictating the path.

Unify your energies. - Put your energy and effort into doing one project at a time. When all of your energies are working in the same direction, your effectiveness is greatest. Think of light again, when all of its energy is aligned in a single beam aimed at a single target, a laser beam, it can cut through anything.

Simplify your life. Decide what your priorities are and eliminate everything that distracts you. It is not easy and you need to make choices. Don’t allow yourself to get scattered. Know what you want to achieve and organize your life around it. Stephen King is such a prolific writer because he disciplines himself to write 2000 words a day – writing in the early mornings. He does nothing else until those 2000 words are done. Stephen King is focused.

When you know exactly what you want and all your efforts are focused on achieving it you will feel alive. You will be alert and invigorated and you will certainly accomplish your goals.


Quotes

“You can focus on what you’re thankful for and become a better person, or you can focus on what you’re disappointed about and become a bitter person.” Mark Goulston (author of Get Out of Your Own Way).

“Your focus is your reality.” Qui Gon Jin (Star Wars I)