FOCUS – Focus On One Course Until Successful as defined by Robert Kiyosaki.

Focus is a Discipline

Focus is a discipline, a habit, and, as such, it can be developed. To have a success mindset, we need to learn and practice the skills to keep our minds focused on whatever goals we have.

Your mind is like a muscle and as any other muscle in our body, it needs to be fed the right stuff and used, or it will wither away. Just as the muscles of our bodies respond to exercise our mind can be strengthened with focus.

Focus On The Now

Wim Hof or the Iceman has he known knows the power of focus on the mind’s reaction. Part of the Wim Hof method is ice baths and cold therapy. To most people, the idea of jumping into an ice bath with ice floating around is to excuse the term, chilling. But, with the right training and mental focus it can be done and actually enjoyed. The many physical and mental benefits of cold therapy are for another blog though.

If you want to see success beyond what you thought possible in all areas of your life, you must keep your focus on what you want and not allow distractions to govern you.

Two Wolves

Whatever you feed will grow, and whatever you starve will die. It’s like the story of the Indian Chief who tells the story of the two wolves to his son. He explains, “everybody has two wolves in their mind, one speaks evil and negativity whilst the other speak goodness and positivity. The son asks “which one do you listen to”? The Chief answers, “the one that I feed”.

Successful people know how to keep their focus firmly and clearly on their desired outcomes. Once you’ve decided exactly what you want, the next challenge is to stay focused on it.

It is impossible to achieve what you want if your attention is constantly being distracted all over the place. Negativity from family, friends, and the media can take away so much of our focus.

Focus requires attention. We need to constantly stay with our main game. Because most people haven’t learned how to focus, people who have, get the edge. Focus gives you the edge because the longer you work at something, the better you get at it.

F.O.C.U.S.

Focus is made up of a number of factors:

F – Forward planning

O – Overcoming distractions

C – Committing to your plan

U – Understanding your desired objectives

S – Sustaining your effort

Forward planning: Knowing exactly what you want in your life. Plan how it is going to happen. Have your long–term and medium-term plans ready, but also have a plan for today. If you don’t plan your day, you will succumb to Parkinson’s Law: “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” I always have a strict completion time to my day otherwise I know I will pad out the day so that my tasks take up the allotted time. Decide what needs to be done today to keep you on track. Then stick to your plan.

Overcoming distractions: So many things can draw your attention away from what you are trying to achieve. They are distractions. Life is full of them. What are the things that easily distract you? Most people can name a few but there are many that take our focus away that we don’t even realize. Do an audit of the main distractions in your life. Understand the trigger for you to be distracted. What is it that typically distracts you at the most important time? Is it a real distraction or just a procrastination habit you have formed? Be aware of them and prepare yourself not to be distracted. Wherever possible, remove the source of distraction.

Committing to your plan: Be 100% committed to your plan. Keep yourself accountable or get an accountability partner. Make a ‘to do’ list and prioritize everything on it but have your Big Three. Three must-do tasks that if you got those done you would have had an effective day.  Prioritize what you need to do, make a plan to get it done, and stick to that plan.

Understanding your desired objectives: As well as knowing ‘what’, we also need to know ‘why’. In my own life, I now know that whatever you feed will grow, and whatever you starve will die.

Sustaining your effort: Nothing worth achieving comes without significant effort. Rome wasn’t built in a day, it took a sustained effort over a very long time.

Until next time

David