Stay focused on what matters

Stay focused and be more successful. Perhaps the greatest business advice that anyone can offer. Realistically, the two thoughts, focus and success, are interchangeable. How do you stay focused, On what do you focus, and what resources can help you stay focused? Countless speakers and studies have shown that focus can get you exactly what you want, but the discipline that strong focus requires is a skill that is difficult to cultivate.

First, staying focused will require tremendous mental ability and is attainable, but many of us are discouraged by several attributes. Most important are the opportunity costs. Cut out drinking, socializing, reading unnecessary articles, watching television, and basically all forms of play. This discipline is the hardest part of focus. Next, you will want to find a task worthwhile to focus upon. The task should be long-term, massive, and should reflect your strengths, values/virtues, and interests. This will take time to develop, as personal reflection sometimes only comes in moments of clarity. Find a way to combine the task into a career, or create a way to establish a new career doing the task. Make sure you absolutely believe in it, and that you establish broad objectives (streamlined), or constraints to strengthen your focus. Become an expert in the idea and have your life be a reflection of the idea.

You may be distracted, so make sure you realize the opportunity costs associated with each distraction. Many times, distractions can be opportunities. Think about your values and decide if you can convert a distraction into an objective. Again, make sure your objectives are synergized and streamlined. Whether the distraction is a girlfriend, a work opportunity, children, volunteering, a new hobby, or an asset investment, make sure you identify all pros and cons. Have a solid base of peers who want to accomplish the task with you, and bounce ideas off of them. They should reflect your values as well. Protect your interest with insurance policies. Worker's Compensation for personal injuries, health insurance for personal sickness and of course Life insurance for financial or key man loss. Having insurance takes the burden from your thoughts associated with threats that you can control so you can defend against threats that you can't control, like competition, rising costs, changing markets, and other barriers to entry.

In a short glimpse, this is how to set your self up to focus, give yourself something to focus upon, and maintain the focus using tried and true techniques. Focus is a learned skill and this will all become easier and easier to you over many years of development. Make sure you tackle each new obstacle right away, or you can get buried quickly. Discipline will be the most determining factor of whether you achieve excellent focus or you are stuck where you always have been and feeling like you have always felt.