Get Your Focus Right

Are you fed up with not achieving your goals? You follow everything that I and many other personal development coaches have told you. They encourage you to; dream big, write your goals down, set a deadline, anticipate the barriers and create a plan that you monitor regularly. But for so many people this doesn’t seem to work.

Do you remember the parable of the wise man who built his house on solid foundation and the foolish man who built his on sand? It wasn’t until the storm came, that the benefits of having that strong foundation were fully appreciated. The goal was to build a house and it is true they both achieved their goal but if his focus was slightly different, the outcome would have been different for the foolish man.

Focus on the right thing. In business, for example how much money you make is just the measure of how you have done. What you should focus on is getting customers and the money will take care of itself, providing of course it is the right type of customer. In your personal life the focus should be on your regular daily actions. Instead of focusing on the outputs (goals), we focus on the process. Instead of focusing on what we want, we focus on who we are and what we need to become. Instead of focusing on the destination we focus on the journey.

Sometimes we try to find the big idea, the instant formula, the secret seven steps, and the easy way to what we want. Unfortunately for the vast majority of people this simply doesn’t work. There is no easy way – hard work, persistence and determination is the formula. When you are working towards your goals the little things that you do each day sometimes seem so far removed from the end result that it is difficult to stay motivated but it is the little consistent things that make the difference!

1. ‘The Millionaire Next Door’ by Thomas J. Stanley illustrated the point well. The lifestyle and the perception we have of millionaires is completely wrong. The research the authors carried out demonstrated that to make their millions the vast majority of millionaires had relatively normal vocations and modest living standards but by consistently spending less than they earn and saving and investing the difference over time they became wealthy. They did it a little bit at a time.

2. Healthy people don’t just suddenly, after a crash diet or a short burst at the gym get to where they are. Good health comes from a consistent attitude to healthy eating and a habit of exercise. A habit formed for regular exercise may not give you the result you want in one or two months, but keep it up past that and then review where you are in a year. The results will be astonishing all those sessions accumulate to give you the outcome you want.

3. Great relationships don’t just happen overnight. It is those little bucket fillings actions, a kind word, unexpected gift that accumulate over time to produce the results that can be seen. (Please read ‘How Full is Your Bucket?’ Tom Rath). Each bucket filling experience on its own may not seem significant but they do add up and eventually overflow.

You may not be able to see the results of the little things that you do each day but if you stay with it and just trust in the process you will see the result. I can give you many examples in nature where it seems like nothing is happening but all of a sudden we see massive growth. The tiny mustard seed that creates a wonderful tree with small daily actions, the bamboo tree that shows no sign of growth for years and then in a matter of months grows to incredible dimensions or the water hyacinth that for twenty five days of growth covers a small surface area but in a further five days can cover a whole pond.

The converse is true of course that extra 2 stones of weight that you are carrying wasn’t that one off Chinese meal or the missed gym appointment, it was a small bad habit that has been continued and consistently applied. That credit card debt was accumulated from a long line of specials offers, or the holiday that was going to be paid back or the odd meal. Slowly but surely it adds up.

The message is clear. Until next month keep your focus on the right thing and continue to take those regular actions that take you in the right direction.