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Choose Your Focus
Focus can have a massive impact on our goals, beliefs and achievements. What we choose to focus on impacts on our beliefs and aspirations.
Take Billy for example. Billy was the second of four children who was always shy and unassuming. He had a difficult time in education due to the late diagnosis of dyslexia and a lack of tolerance from teachers at the locally nicknamed "Our Lady of Perpetual PMT" primary school.
Billy left school at sixteen and worked through a range of unskilled jobs, bought a house and lives happily with his lovely girlfriend.
Will's Story
On the other hand Will was the only son born into a house full of adoring sisters who lovingly refer to him as Golden Boy.
Will’s sunny nature, handsome face and quick humour meant he built up a great network of friends and he could always find work to pay for the pursuit of his dream to be a musician.
Will can pick up any instrument and make it "speak" within minutes.
He writes and performs his own songs with his band, has played live on Capital Radio and to an invited celebrity audience at the 100 Club London. His band is building up a fan base and he is doing what he loves.
Yes, you guessed it - Billy and Will are one and the same, it just depends on which aspects of his life we choose to focus on, that makes the difference.
Your Focus
How often do you fall into the trap of focusing on the negative aspects of your story?
Are you constantly playing the video of your life’s failings and misfortunes in your head - with you in the starring role, of course?
Does it often feel like the world is out to get you?
The truth is your life, like Billy and Will’s, can look totally different depending on your focus.
If you spend most of your days focussing on what you lack you will create a bleak reality.
Evidence
The “fanatic in the attic” of your head will send off the “fella in the cellar” of your subconscious to seek out evidence of how life is stacked against you, how you don’t have what it takes to live out your dreams.
That fella in the cellar loves a rule to stick to and he will bring back just the right evidence.
If your focus is aimed fair and square at the unique gifts and talents you possess and you expect to see opportunities that fella in the cellar will oblige.
It only takes a few days of coaxing the fanatic in the attic to focus on the positive aspects of your life for a new video showing to emerge.
No longer disaster movies playing 24/7, but inspirational dramas, romantic comedies, stirring tales of derring-do and triumph.
The radio station of mind music will gradually shift from the Shock Jock of criticism, to coaxing whispers of support.
It's Your Choice
You hold the remote control - what’s it to be? Choose your focus, what can you lose by trying it for a month? You could be in danger of losing the old story and creating a new one of course.
In his book “The Success Principles” Jack Canfield explains how his mentor, W Clement Stone, was known as an “Inverse Paranoid.”
Instead of believing that the world was out to get him he chose to focus on a world that was providing opportunities to enrich and advance him, even when they came disguised as difficulties.
How would your life change if you chose the same focus and belief?
So, if you fancy changing your focus why not commit to a month of:
- Counting your blessings – keep a gratitude journal writing down three things you are grateful for at the end of each day
- Starting an achievement log – identify at least one achievement each day, think about what skills and attributes you needed to achieve it and make a note of where you can use those skills in future
- Become an “Inverse Paranoid” – begin each day committed to focusing on a world that is out to support you and bring you wonderful opportunities.
