How to FOCUS – Your Compass for Success

Have you noticed how so many things can draw us off course to get us doing and being involved in activities we had not even listed in our “Things To Do” daily or weekly reminder?

Many of us have still to admit that we are part of the problem; its not the kids, the phone, the laundry, the boss, etc – its really up to us to take control and FOCUS.  But, why can’t we?

It can be called Procrastination, Denial, Laziness, whatever name you give to the symptom, it is powerful enough to knock you off course and keep you from doing anything productive.  Ultimately it leaves you feeling frustrated and defeated.  Why is that?  What could be the reason or reasons why we just can’t seem to get it together and focus on a simple task or goal?  For one thing,  we may not be sure how to tackle the obstacle, or  where to to start, thus, we put it aside, leaving us feeling anxious and upset, feeling discouraged and defeated. The stress we feel only exacerbates  the problem which can tip the scale and cause us to feel like a failure.

This is the first in a series called “Achieving Success”.

Looking at the reasons behind this inability to FOCUS and get things done in a realistic order and time frame might be worthwhile to find a root cause that can be dealt with first. Ask yourself questions like;  Are you depressed? Do you have any type of anxiety, panic, or even a compulsive fear of failure? Looking at your inability to focus and finish something can sometimes, be the result of other elements that may be going on that you may not even be aware of.

Too many times I have heard statements like; ‘I wish I could…, I would love to do…,It would be so much fun to…, I am afraid to…, I just can’t bring myself to…,I tried before but it didn’t work out for me…’, and so on.  A defeatist mindset or attitude will stop you in your tracks, and no matter how much you wish, or dream, unless you can harness the real problem – no amount of encouraging quotes, business ideas or books to tell you how to organize and get rid of chaos in your life -none of these will help you, until you are able to identify the “Why you fail” syndrome.

I recommend that you take some time to evaluate the situation and write down those things that you are aware of that seem to trigger the defeatist mindset. To help you get started, here are some questions/statements that may be true for you:

• I have trouble keeping my mind on one thing
• I never stop worrying about big and small things
• I am afraid that I may not complete the task, or project at hand
• I have a fear that someone will find out my shortcomings and embarrass me
• I feel guilty about not being able to finish my work
• I feel exhausted a lot and have trouble sleeping
• I keep replaying my failures in my mind
• I feel out of control
• I have a racing heart and have a hard time breathing
• I feel dizzy, start to sweat or have sweaty palms
• I make myself sick with stomach problems and try to throw up
• I shake or tremble and feel unreal

If you are able to answer 3 or more of these questions with a YES, perhaps, you should consider seeing a physician and talk about them. These internal triggers that negatively affect you can be arrested, once you get the professional help of your doctor who can help you identify and give you the help you need to balance and stabilize these emotional swings.  You may find that to be your answer, then, go back to the starting point, follow the steps outlined below, and you will find yourself able to conquer -perhaps for the first time- one item on your list with satisfaction, security, and success.

FOCUS is like a compass.  It helps us find the direction, and stay on course so we can achieve our goal.  As a sailor uses the tools available to keep on course and arrive at her desired or intended destination, so too, we can achieve our goal or goals if we can see that FOCUS is is the compass for us, and we must learn how to use it to receive the benefits and results we are looking for.  The starting point for a compass is always True North.  Therefore, once you know which direction you are facing, if its opposite of where you want to end up, you reposition yourself with the aid of your compass or FOCUS and navigate the course till you get to your destination or goal. Using this tool to help you navigate through the process is what will determine your success or failure.  Even one slight turn, one degree off  in the wrong direction will result in disaster if we do not keep our focus and stay on course. Remember the time you turned left instead of right and found yourself miles away in the wrong direction, turning around and backtracking takes away time that could have been used to get you to your destination sooner, it’s something we all do, make a wrong turn, but with properly using the compass, we can eliminate those crucial mistakes and stay on course with focus on our desired destination or goal.

CLOUDS OVERHEAD -

• Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed?
• Attempting the impossible feat of tackling  everything in one day, but find yourself in a daze or a cloud of confusion?
• Anxiety or fear comes over you, you freeze because you don’t know where to start?
• Do you panic, give up, shut down and end up doing nothing?

Let’s face it, advertisements, commercials, how to do books, the different business, home, and craft channels convince us that we can do it all.  We get excited, spend our initial efforts of time and money on,  so we tend to start one, only to jump to another and pretty soon we have so many projects started that we don’t know which one to pour our efforts into, and end the day with nothing accomplished.  Tired, frustrated, and out of energy, we get upset with ourselves. That is where our compass can help us. It will keep us focused and on course.  It helps define our goal, the steps we need to take to get there and guides us along the way so we don’t veer off course.

All the more reason to make a conscientious effort to FOCUS on one thing each day, and get it done. Sounds easy, right?  

Let’s break it down into 5 simple steps;

When we FOCUS (facing obstacle creating unique solution) we can realistically look to accomplishing that one thing, whatever it is, by the end of the day.

• F – face the task without fear, step back, read about it, gain understanding as to the best approach for you and your situation.
• O – obstacle; this is that one thing right in front of you, like a wall, a blockage, whether mental or physical, it stops you from taking the steps to overcome it. Think about why this is creating such a negative feeling for you, and try to look past it to the outcome.
• C – creating – modifying, calculating, considering all options, create in your mind the feeling of being on the other side of this dilemma, create a positive mindset that with the information you have in hand, you can break it down creatively facing each step successfully.
• U – unique – because none of us are the same, we approach each challenge our own way,with our own unique mindset and pre-programmed methods of tackling a challenge.
• S – solution – You have thought it through, found the missing pieces of information, defined your obstacle, created a unique way of finding a solution that works for you.

With practice and a commitment to discipline yourself everyday to accomplish one thing – using these 5 simples steps F-O-C-U-S you will find this becomes a habit that will encourage you to get those set aside tasks much easier to tackle.  Stop doing the things that don’t work, and focus on the things that do.  Small, simple, easy and deliberate steps toward your goal.  Stay solution focused, avoid distractions and anything that would try to steer you away from focusing on your goal.  Do you see a pattern or reoccurring habit of sabotage?   Position yourself in your mind as a problem solver not a saboteur – pare away the distractions.

When we have the desire to make the changes, we have the power to accomplish them.  It is that strong passion for improvement that compels us to move forward toward the solution, the goals.  The starting point to success is desire. Taking the first step is always the most difficult, yet once we get going, with focus, we can see ourselves finishing something – perhaps for the first time – and feeling good about it.  Each day, pick one new project to FOCUS on and complete, and pretty soon that mountain will disappear and you will feel under control and empowered within to tackle anything that comes your way.

Be a woman on a mission – do it with passion and purpose.  Know what it is you want and go for it with F-O-C-U-S!

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