Dilini, an ex-employee, called recently inviting me to her house-warming ceremony. She and her family were moving to a new home. Dilini was our receptionist for six years and left us with the birth of her child. She was a self-made lady, competent and dedicated and the sort of person every boss hopes their workers will become. When I met her at a wedding three years after her leaving us, she told me she had started a small business. In her backyard she was growing ornamental fish.
She started with nothing. She worked hard at what she loved, was committed and patient, always tried to do the right thing, accepted her setbacks with grace and her victories with humility.
On the day of house-warming, I was sitting on a comfortable chair in her lovely garden talking to her about her success. “The most valuable lesson I have learnt in my job is to focus my energies on one matter at a time.” That statement startled me because this is not what most self employed entrepreneurs today do. They put out fires. That is where most of their time is spent.
Focus
She was right. Today, lack of focus is the number one reason that stops people from getting what they want. Those young entrepreneurs or business managers who focus on what they want, prosper. In my business experience, I have found that focus is the most important determination of whether one will achieve a business goal or stick to creating a new habit. Not self-discipline, not rewards, not sheer willpower, not even motivation (also an important ingredient, however).
How often have you found yourself unable to act on your highest priorities and in your greatest strengths? I'm sure this has happened to you more often then you care to admit. This is because you have to learn how to cut to chase and identify those things that are of greatest value and create the greatest level of return and do those things consistently for positive changes to take place in your life. The power of focus will help you break free of the clutter that may be clogging your progress and put you on a clear path of success.
Single aim
Having multiple goals spreads out your focus, and makes it less likely that you’ll complete any of the goals. For exceptionally talented people, it may be possible, but for normal people like you and me, it’s much more difficult. If you master your power of focus, you can act with absolute clarity and power for lifelong success.
If you focus on one single aim at a time and reach it within the pre-determined time, many other doors will begin to open for you. Focusing on one aim at a time is analogous to building your own staircase. The longer you keep focus, the more stairs you can build. Now you get to stand on that stair and look around. You’ll probably see things you’ve never seen before when you were at ground level. You’ll probably see things from a different perspective.
I knew a young man called Asela. He loved to play tennis. He was not really good at it, but he loved the game. So he practiced and practiced day and night. He got lessons, read books, watched professional players over TV. He met many local professionals and asked for help. He entered many tournaments, won a few. Today he teaches tennis for money. The secret - he decided to focus on one aim and mastered it.
That’s the real power of focus.
(The writer is a corporate director with 23 years of hands-on experience in General Management and human resources development, and a prolific writer on a range of issues). |
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