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By Chuck Gallozzi
Imagine the rays of the sun striking a newspaper lying on the sand
of a tropical beach. Even if the newspaper were to remain there for
many years, there wouldn't be very much sun damage. True, the pages
would yellow and fade, but for the most part, the newspaper would
remain intact. Yet, if we were to use a magnifying glass to focus
the rays of the sun, we could set the newspaper ablaze in minutes.
Such is the power of focus. It is magical.
Like the sun, you have enormous potential power, but it will not
bear fruit unless it is focused. Your good ideas and intentions can
easily become diluted and dispersed by ever-changing thoughts. Tony
Robbins explains, "One reason so few of us achieve what we truly
want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our
power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to
master anything in particular."
If we really understand the enormous power bubbling within us, we
would act differently. Instead, we let it escape like steam from a
teapot. But those who channel their power achieve greatness, for
notable achievers are nothing more than ordinary men and women who
are focused.
Look at dogs catching Frisbees thrown by their masters. Note how
focused, intent, and enthusiastic they are. That's the attitude you
want to develop. However, it's not Frisbees that you will be
chasing, but your goals and dreams. To help you focus on your
dreams, write them down. For as Michael Leboeuf wrote, "When you
write down your ideas you automatically focus your full attention on
them. Few if any of us can write one thought and think another at
the same time. Thus a pencil and paper make excellent concentration
tools."
Don't just write down your ideas; write down your PLANS on how you
will reach your goals. Planning helps you remain focused. Another
tool to help you stay focused is QUESTIONING. Ask yourself questions
like, "What is the best way to spend my time now? What step can I
now take that will bring me closer to my goal? What do I need to do
differently? What do I need to improve? What do I need to do more
of? Am I still on course?" Successful people realize they are not
immortal. They do not have forever to achieve their dreams. That's
why they act now. Reminding yourself that you are not immortal will
help you to remain focused.
What are the main things we need to focus on? I have listed 16
points below. And a lot of what follows you already know, and it is
just common sense, but we need to ask ourselves are we practicing
what we already know? And if we're not, when will we begin? After
all, it doesn't make sense to wait for success and happiness, does
it?
1. FOCUS ON YOUR CHOICES.
What you have become today is based on what you decided to focus on
in the past, and what you will be tomorrow depends on what you
choose to focus on today. Our choice of focus is critical, so we
need to focus on what we are focusing on!
What do you choose to focus on, the practical or the theoretical?
Contributing to life or just watching the parade pass by? Solutions
or excuses? Something to be grateful for or something to complain
about? Being busy or being productive?
Will you focus on your desires or your doubts? On what you want from
life or what you feel like doing now? That which pulls you forward
or that which drags you down? That which inspires you to greatness
or that which lulls you into complacency? Will you continue doing
what's not working or focus on what is working? Will you focus on
your imagined limitations or your limitless potential? Will you
putter through life or focus your attention on what's important to
you?
2. FOCUS ON WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU.
You'll never be able to read every book in the Library of Congress,
will you? It would be foolish to try. Neither can you do EVERYTHING.
All you accomplish by trying to do everything is to get stressed
out. And stress makes it impossible to focus. So, stop trying to do
everything, and focus on what's important for you.
Here are two African proverbs to remind us to focus on what's
important: "The hunter who is tracking an elephant does not stop to
throw stones at birds." and "The hyena chasing two gazelles at the
same will go to bed hungry."
Summing up, the most important thing to focus on is the most
important thing. In other words, the main thing is keeping the main
thing the main thing.
3. FOCUS ON SUCCESS.
Success doesn't come by accident. It comes to those who plan for it
and act on their plans. Decide what you want, what steps need to be
taken, and in what order. Then act. And remember the words of Thomas
Edison, "I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my
inventions come by accident; they came by work."
4. FOCUS ON THE PRESENT MOMENT.
We are always aware that we are alive, but by not focusing on that
fact, we fail to take advantage of it. Focusing on the present
moment is important because it is the only moment we have power. NOW
is the only time we have to focus on our plans and monitor our
progress. Johann Friedrich Von Schiller put this idea into rhyme:
"Lose not yourself in a far off time, seize the moment that is
thine."
And Barbara De Angelis explains more fully the importance of the
present moment, "Only when your consciousness is totally focused on
the moment you are in can you receive whatever gift, lesson, or
delight that moment has to offer."
5. FOCUS ON LIFE.
How many of us quickly walk to our destination, oblivious to leaves
and flower petals blown about by the wind? Why is it we see the
litter, but not the grass waving to us? Why do we hear the clamor of
traffic, but not the songs of birds? Everyone is looking, but few
are seeing. Everyone is hearing, but few are listening. Everyone
feels the breeze and sunlight, but few enjoy it because their mind
is elsewhere. Someone mindful of the present moment may see more in
a walk around the block than others see in a trip around the world.
As Eddie Cantor said, "Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the
scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of
where you are going and why."
6. FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS.
It is good to be aware of our weaknesses and work on self-
improvement. But we should spend more time focused on our strengths
than our weaknesses, for it is our strengths that will lead us to
success. In the long run, what we can't do is unimportant, it is
what we can do that defines us and offers us the opportunity to
shine. Here's how Peter Drucker put it, ""The great mystery isn't
that people do things badly but that they occasionally do a few
things well. The only thing that is universal is incompetence.
Strength is always specific! Nobody ever commented, for example,
that the great violinist Jascha Heifetz probably couldn't play the
trumpet very well."
7. FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE.
Successful people focus on what they want, not what they don't want.
There's a good reason for that, and it is pointed out by the
extraordinary motivational speaker, W. Mitchell, Here's what he
said, "What I focus on in life is what I get. And if I concentrate
on how bad I am or how wrong I am or how inadequate I am, if I
concentrate on what I can't do and how there's not enough time in
which to do it, isn't that what I get every time? And when I think
about how powerful I am, and when I think about what I have left to
contribute, and when I think about the difference I can make on this
planet, then that's what I get. You see, I recognize that it's not
what happens to you; it's what you do about it."
8. FOCUS ON OPPORTUNITIES.
Like W. Mitchell, we need to focus on opportunities. That is, we
need to look for them, for we find what we look for. Someone far
wiser than I reached the same conclusion, for the great Greek
playwright, Sophocles (496~406 BC), wrote, "Look and you will find
it - what is unsought will go undetected." In more modern times we
find Henry David Thoreau (1817~1862) wrote something similar, "Only
that day dawns to which we are awake. What we find depends on what
we look for."
9. FOCUS ON YOUR POTENTIAL.
If we wish to unlock our potential, all we need do is act like the
person we want to become, for "Act the part and you will become the
part" (William James). Just as famous as the words of William James
are the words of Henry David Thoreau; mainly, "If one advances
confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live
the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success
unexpected in common hours."
10. FOCUS ON TIME.
Because time is the stuff life is made of, it deserves our careful
scrutiny. Don't waste or kill it. Rather, heed these two points made
by Michael Leboeuf: "Waste your money and you're only out of money,
but waste your time and you've lost a part of your life." and "The
ultimate goal of a more effective and efficient life is to provide
you with enough time to enjoy some of it."
11. FOCUS ON WHAT YOU THINK AND SAY.
Because we program our subconscious by the words we think and say,
it is essential that we are aware of them. Be sure to keep your mind
on the things you want and off the things you don't want, for you
will become or get what you spend most of your time thinking and
talking about.
12. FOCUS ON CONTRIBUTING TO LIFE.
We are insignificant specks in the universe. So, to think about
ourselves is to have insignificant thoughts. Yet, when we focus our
thoughts beyond ourselves to our neighbor, community, country,
world, and beyond, we transcend ourselves and touch greatness. Our
globe takes care of us, and we are here to take care of it. In a
word, we are here to contribute to life. Doing so is not only the
right thing to do, but it provides its own reward, for as renowned
expert on stress, Hans Selye, wrote, "If you want to live a long
life, focus on making contributions."
Also think about these words of President Barack Obama, "Focusing
your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of
ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you
hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize
your true potential."
13. FOCUS ON DOING YOUR BEST.
Do not underestimate the power of a commitment to always doing you
best. Someone said, "I just try to be the best I can be and hope
that is the best ever." That someone was Tiger Woods. If it works
for him, I think it will work for us as well.
One way of always doing our best is to be committed to always doing
MORE. For example, if you're a student that has been studying a
textbook for an hour and a half, feel exhausted and are ready to
quit, rather than quitting, you can tell yourself, "I will quit
after I study FIVE MORE pages." If you're working out in the gym and
feel ready to quit, you can tell yourself, "I will quit after FIVE
MORE minutes." If a friend asks to borrow $20 from you and you
agree, you can give him FIVE MORE dollars. You get the idea. When we
are committed to doing more, we become more.
14. FOCUS ON YOUR DREAMS, NOT YOUR FEARS.
Focus on your fears and you will become paralyzed, but focus on your
dreams and you will be inspired to take action.
15. FOCUS ON QUESTIONING THINGS.
Knowledge is exciting and empowering. But don't be too quick to
accept what others say. Question what you hear and read, and
question your own opinions.
16. FOCUS ON FOLLOWING THROUGH.
Acting on our personal plan for success isn't enough. We have to
follow through every step to its completion. Consider what American
psychologist Harry A. Overstreet (1875~1970,) had to say, "The
immature mind hops from one thing to another; the mature mind seeks
to follow through."
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS
1. Do the important tasks first. The other jobs will take care of
themselves.
2. Focus on one task at a time. The quickest way to do many things
is to do one thing at a time.
3. When something goes awry, don't dwell on your mistake. Rather,
focus on a solution.
4. "If you try to do too much, you will not achieve anything."
(Confucius, 551~479 BC). Or as the Italians say, "Often he who does
too much does too little."
5. "You must not only aim right, but draw the bow with all your
might." (Henry David Thoreau) That is, in addition to goal- setting
skills, you will need patience, persistence, and discipline.
6. "Rather than viewing a brief relapse back to inactivity as a
failure, treat it as a challenge and try to get back on track as
soon as possible." (Jimmy Connors)
7. "Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can
eliminate it, you'll have more time, and more tranquility. Ask
yourself at every moment, 'Is this necessary?'" (Marcus Aurelius)
8. "In the real world, those of us who are most productive,
successful, and satisfied focus not on fixing feelings or
manipulating thoughts, but on what needs to be done -and then doing
it- no matter what thoughts or feelings arise." (Dan Millman)
9. Don't focus on what you have already achieved, for resting on
your laurels leads to complacency. Rather, focus on what remains to
be done.
10. Avoid focusing too far ahead as you cannot predict the future.
Instead, expect the unexpected and remain flexible.
11. Remember that focusing is not only about deciding what to pay
attention to, but also deciding what NOT to pay attention to.
12. To improve your life, stop focusing on the size of your problems
and start focusing on the size of your potential. And focus on what
you're doing as if you happiness depends on it because it does.
I'll now give the final word to Og Mandino (1923~1996):
"The great difference between those who succeed and those who fail
does not consist in the amount of work done by each but in the
amount of intelligent (focused) work. Many of those who fail most
ignominiously do enough to achieve grand success but they labor
haphazardly at whatever they are assigned, building up with one hand
to tear down with the other. They do not grasp circumstances and
change them into opportunities. They have no faculty for turning
honest defeats into telling victories. With ability enough and ample
time, the major ingredients of success, they are forever throwing
back and forth an empty shuttle and the real web of their life is
never woven."
About the author:
Chuck Gallozzi lived, studied, and worked in Japan for 15 years,
immersing himself in the wisdom of the Far East and graduated with
B.A. and M.A. degrees in Asian Studies. He joined Zig Ziglar, Brian
Tracy, and other experts to coauthor "101
Great Ways to Improve Your Life" and also joined Dr.
Wayne Dyer, and others to coauthor, "Walking with the Wise for
Overcoming Obstacles." He is a Canadian writer, Certified NLP
Practitioner, Founder and Leader of the Positive Thinkers Group in http://www.personal-development.com/chuck
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How
to Focus