Defining Focus: Can You Do This With Your Mind?

17 Mar Defining Focus: Can You Do This With Your Mind?

Defining focus: can you do this with your mind? If so, you’ve got the definition of focus. Image by Austin Loveing.

Defining Focus

Defining focus is simple. The image above defines it: if you can do this with your mind, you’ve already got the very definition of focus. Picking up the needle and putting it where you want it on the record defines focus perfectly. If you can’t do this with your mind, keep reading.

These Three Actions Define Focusing

There is a simple sequence of action that focused people take over and over. It is natural to us to do so. They are

1. 1. 1. Notice where our mind is focused.

      2. Notice if that is where we want it to be focused.

      3. Move our focus where we want it to be.

Period.

Poof! That’s it.  Focus is the way you make the changes you want in your life.

Every change we make in our lives is a result of focusing on that change.

Life-Changing Results

Focus is not an end in itself. Focus by itself will do nothing to change your life. But any change you seek is made possible by focus.

Anything life-changing is made possible by focus.

Once you can focus, you can accomplish what you want to.

Why is Focus Critical?

If you can’t focus, you can’t:

• • keep your attention on the change you want

  • keep your commitments with yourself to stay on track with your change

  • keep dates with yourself to take the incremental steps you know you need to take to make the change

  • even set aside the time to “chunk up” the steps to take in the first place.

There is Nothing Wrong with You

It’s easy to feel there is something wrong with you. Not so!

When you can’t focus, everything feels hopeless. Enormous. Overwhelming. So you give up.

This happens ridiculously often to some wonderful people I know, love, and don’t know yet.

I say no! There is nothing wrong with you!

This problem is societal, cultural. How many times have you given away your focus without even noticing it?

There are so many reasons we do this. So many forces want our attention, and they have such clever ways to get it PLUS we don’t learn (ever) to protect it.

When we protect our focus we may feel:

• • uncool

  • unspiritual

  • harsh

  • boring

  • uptight

  • [fill in the blank].

Has it ever even occurred to you to protect your focus?

If not, again, there is nothing wrong with you. You just never realized that focus is one of the most precious resources you possess. So you gave it away, over and over and over, to those who want it because they do realize how precious it is. They want it so they can make you do the things they focus you on: buy this and that, dress like this, believe like that, think about this unimportant or nonsensical stuff, make this the center of your attention instead of what actually really matters to you.

You just need to realize what they already know. Again, focus is not the be-all, end-all. It’s not the endpoint. It’s the beginning of living life on your own terms and using your time and energy the way you choose to.

There is no need for us to feel powerless in this big world of ours! We are plenty big enough to focus and get what we want.

We are enough but our focus may not be enough. Yet.

We just have to build it.

Build Your Focus

You can build your focus. Not with apps or Focusmate, although that is fine, too. I mean you can develop your natural ability to focus. I have superb focus; I was born with good focus but I have developed the best focus of anyone I know. Many people would agree that I am the most focused person they know. Every one of my Testimonials is an attestation to my ability to zero in on the person I’m serving–what they are saying, and what they are not even saying. Yet.

Here is another way to build your focus:

If you got a lot out of this post, you’ll get thought-provoking depth from this one as well. It’s a collaboration with another focus master, a “co-interview.” For more, click on the “Tags” listed below to be taken to all my Focus and Mindset posts, as well as all my Time-related posts.

Questions? I love them. Please ask in a public comment to this post, or use this form for privacy. I answer all my emails, blog post comments, social media messages, etc. I keep a zero inbox. Thanks for reading and for considering whether I can help you, and if so, how.