Focus

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Barry

Follow One Course Until Successful (FOCUS)

—Author Unknown

Image from blog.ruzuku.com

One of my favorite quotes related to the FOCUS acronym is “If you try to chase two rabbits they both get away.”

In our “faster, faster” world, multi-tasking is a fairly common practice. Although this strategy seems to work in many circumstances, it often has drawbacks, particularly when we are faced with a very important priority. In such cases, even a small bit of distraction or taking our eye off the ball can have considerable undesirable consequences.

EXERCISE:

Identify one or two areas in your life where a lack of focus is having a less than desirable impact. Where would following one course until successful produce the greatest value for you today and in the future?

“The main thing is…”

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Barry

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

-Stephen Covey, Author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Image from www.niagarafallsreview.ca

Stephen Covey was a wise man. Few individuals have had a more lasting impact in the development of individuals as life-long learners. Part of his brilliance was his ability to break complicated principles into their simplest form, resulting in his brilliant Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

EXERCISE:

Apply today’s quote to Covey’s Seven Habits to discover your main things for the day:

Be proactive
Begin with the end in mind
First things first
Think Win-Win
Seek first to understand, then to be understood
Synergize
Sharpen the saw

How will greater focus and far fewer “main things” help you realize more of your potential now, and in the future?

“Convert your Marketing Strategy…”

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Barry

“Convert your marketing strategy from a shotgun to a laser.”

—Author Unknown

Image from bigfishmedia.ca

Many marketing professionals would agree that if we try to be all things to all people, we almost always miss the mark and become nothing to no one.

Many year ago, when I worked in the pharmaceutical industry, we used an exercise called, “walk the patient across the doctor’s desk,” in order to position our medication in the minds of each physician.

The more specific we were in describing how our medications managed the patient’s symptoms, the clearer the physician was in its utility and application.

EXERCISE:

How can and will you focus your marketing and sales efforts to hit the bulls-eye and better support the customers you wish to serve?

“You can either throw in the towel…”

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Barry

“You can either throw in the towel, or use it to wipe your sweat.”

—Author Unknown

Image from getyourbridebody.com

When was the last time you had a really rigorous workout? You know, the kind that makes your muscles burn, makes you gasp for air, and drenches you in sweat?

Where do you, or have you, demonstrated similar efforts in your personal or professional life?

How often do you give things your all? With what frequency do you merely put in enough effort just to get by? How often do you throw in the towel and give up completely?

EXERCISE:

What are the key tasks or priorities in which you could dig deeper, make a stronger commitment, or break more of a sweat?   With whom can you partner to coach, encourage, and challenge you to give these goals your very best?

“Speak in such a way that others…”

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Barry

“Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you. Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.”

—Author Unknown

Image from beyond.com

One thing I know for sure is that quality relationships result when our focus is on others rather than ourselves.

Being interested rather than interesting will channel your listening and speaking skills, to help you successfully navigate your professional and personal worlds.

EXERCISE:

Choose your words today, so that they resonate at the frequency others hear and appreciate. How can you tune into the messages and signals of those around you, so that you fully honor and show how important they are to you?

“The world is full of…”

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Barry

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

—W.B. Yeats, Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature

Image from freger.weebly.com

Take a moment to examine your current ability to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell.

Did you know that:

A Silvertip Grizzly Bear can smell you from 18 miles away?
Jumping spiders can see four primary colors versus the three that humans see?
Some birds have an internal GPS that acts as a compass, to help them find their way home?
The bat uses echolocation to navigate and catch its supper?
Catfish have 10 times more taste buds than humans (100,000 versus 10,000)?

EXERCISE:

How can you capture more of the magic life has to offer by sharpening and focusing your senses? One way to develop these capacities is to focus on each sense separately, whenever possible.

“My brain has too many…”

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Barry

“My brain has too many tabs open.”

—Author Unknown

Image from www.fastcompany.com

Have you ever noticed what happens to your computer when you have a number of applications open at once? For most of us, the system either slows down considerably, or locks up completely.

In much the same way, our brains work most optimally when they can focus on a single task at any given time. Unfortunately, society and life in general wants everything at once, which often generates considerable stress and other difficulties.

EXERCISE:

Reduce the number of open tabs in your brain by blocking out 15, 30, or 60 minute segments of your day for the most important and value-creating priorities. If possible, utilize the open brain tabs of those around you to accomplish even more by coaching them to use this technique.

“Answers are closed rooms…”

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Barry

“Answers are closed rooms; and questions are open doors that invite us in.”

—Nancy Willard – American novelist and poet

image from sanfranciscoaudiophilesociety.com

Much of our current educational system has focused on students getting the correct answer. How else will you earn a perfect score on tests, the ACT and SAT exams, get into a good college or university, and achieve success? And whose definition of success is it?

A more recent form of education tends to be far more focused on inquiry and experience-based learning. In this method, powerful questions open many different doors, inviting the learner to be an integral part of the educational process.

EXERCISE:

Identify a handful of powerful questions that will engage people more fully, professionally and personally. Share them with your family, friends, and colleagues.

Consider visiting the work of Michael Bungay Stainer, and many of his professional colleagues at http://www.boxofcrayons.biz/category/best-question/. There, you will discover some engaging and provocative questions to open more doors in your life.

“Create a life that feels good on the inside…”

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Barry

“Create a life that feels good on the inside, not one that just looks good on the outside.”

-Author Unknown

image from positivelyaging.org

Many years ago, when Saturday Night Live was in its first years, there was a funny series of skits portrayed by Billy Crystal, titled “Fernando’s Hideaway.” His signature line was “You Look Mah-velous!”

With not a hair out of place, Fernando always says “I would rather look good than feel good, you know?” In our society today, we can observe this “looking good” approach to life success through the material, or status trappings many people pursue.

Alternatively, there has been a very significant journey inward for many people, where greater health, wisdom, and spiritual growth are increasingly valued and pursued.

EXERCISE:

Explore and take one action today that would enhance your mental, emotional, or spiritual worlds. Consider making this exercise a daily habit, and don’t be surprised if this inner work makes you look better on the outside, because you will be wearing considerably more smiles.

“The grass is greener where you water it.”

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Barry

“The grass is greener where you water it.”

-Neil Barringham, Community Development Trainer

Photo from Flickr by Todd Morris

As we approach summer here in Michigan, many of my neighbors and I engage in the ritual of turning on our sprinkler systems to water our lawns and keep them green.

Unfortunately, the previous owner of my home put in the sprinkler system himself and used four zones in a yard that requires six.

This shortcoming results in brown spots and dead grass – areas that simply do not receive the water they require to grow and thrive.

EXERCISE:

Where would a bit more personal or professional “watering” in the upcoming days and months help you achieve the greenest, most lush life possible?