Whether playing for the NBA National Championship or driving to work in the morning, staying focused is essential. When you lose focus—you’ll miss a shot or take a wrong turn. Each is correctable but could easily disrupt your game plan.
Every goal or dream you set requires focus. Whether you’re a writer or an athlete, a doctor or lawyer, it makes no difference. If your vision is strong and you stay focused, the sky is the limit.
But how do you get focused?
First, you need a vision or dream. Jiminy Cricket says: “A dream is a wish your heart makes.” Without a goal, you have nothing to focus on. Without a vision, you’re like a ship without a rudder.
Sadly, many people haven’t developed a dream—one they can get emotional about…a vision that drives their lives in a direction that far exceeds mediocrity—a dream that draws others to connect with you and make a difference.
Find an emotional dream, and you’ve won half the battle.
The second step for getting focused is developing GOOD habits.
Everyone has habits, good and bad—most you rarely think about. For instance, when you get ready for work, you follow a similar routine every morning. You get up, brush your teeth, shave, shower, etc. After getting dressed, you grab something for breakfast—find your cellphone, car keys and head out the door. While driving, you hardly think about the turns you make or the lights you go through.
These are habits you do automatically.
Then there are habits you do deliberately. For example, watching TV with a snack before bed, reading a book with a cup of coffee in the morning, or walking the dog after dinner. The combinations of all your habits define where you are in life. So, if you desire different results, a better life—whatever that means to you, take inventory of your habits and make the necessary changes to your daily routine.
Once you have a vision or dream, how do you change your habits?
First, identify all bad and non-productive habits. Then, see if any of these apply to you:
- Arriving late to work
- Wasting time with non-productive email or social media
- Procrastinating
- Not following through as promised
- Talking or texting at the gym when you should be working out
- Not eating or taking your nutritional supplements properly
What habits are holding you back?
If you’re not sure what your bad habits are, chose a dozen people you know and respect. Then, ask them what they believe your bad habits are. If you see a pattern, guess what?
After identifying your bad or unproductive habits, define new practices to lead you towards your dream or vision. In discovering what habits to develop, find someone who has achieved the objectives you want and duplicate their habits.
You may be surprised at how simple these new habits seem to be. But wait…
Step 1 and 2 are the easy parts:
- You’ve identified the bad or non-productive habits
- You’ve discovered new habits to develop
Step 3 is the challenge—taking action.
Fold a piece of paper in half. Open it up and on one side, write or draw your dream or vision (set a date for the goal). Then, on the other side, write out the habits you must develop to achieve the goal. Focus on them both, side by side, and decide if your dream is bigger than the habit you must create. Then begin taking the appropriate action.
They say it takes 21 days to produce a habit. Is your vision worth the three-plus weeks necessary to form these new habits? Only you can decide.
Understand that long-term success comes from developing the habit of embracing several small, deliberate steps. It may take more than one new habit. Develop one habit at a time if necessary.
In addition, changing your attitude is a critical component in allowing you to embrace these changes. Your attitude will change if your dream or vision is BIG enough.
Growth and success are optional—if you choose that option, you must change your habits.
Success comes by persistently focusing on your vision with the right attitude and proper habits. Keeping an emotional dream in front of you—will help you FOCUS.
