Category Archives: Focus

“My Sun Sets to Rise Again.”

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“My sun sets to rise again.”

—Robert Browning, English poet and playwright

Photo from Flickr by Tomas Penalver

Photo from Flickr by Tomas Penalver

A student named Julio, asked to interpret Browning’s quote, said, “The sun sets to lay to rest what is done, and rises to give way to what is to come.”

That this quote begins with the word “my” causes me to focus within, to examine and reflect on the experience of my day, as well as the level of initiative I bring to it as I bound out of bed in the morning.

I find Julio’s interpretation beautiful and poetic. I also feel that Browning was challenging each of us to play a more active role in manifesting each day to the best of our abilities. He asks us to bask in the satisfaction of being an integral part of the rhythmic flow of our lives and the world.

EXERCISE:

Spend a few morning and evening minutes in thought, to capture your intention for the day to come, and reflections on the day that is done.

“It’s not always that we need to do more…”

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“It’s not always that we need to do more, but rather that we need to focus on less.”

—Nathan W. Morris, Author & Personal Financial Expert

Photo from Flickr by M. Dales

Photo from Flickr by M. Dales

As part of my coaching process, I conduct behavioral, achievement, cognitive, and leadership surveys, in order to set a baseline of each individual’s approach toward achievement.

An initial exercise I share with my clients is called More, Less, Start, Stop, which allows them to sort their actions moving forward into one of the four categories. It is an exercise that many find easy to apply and manage in their daily lives.

EXERCISE:

Consider today’s quote. Where would giving more attention to fewer initiatives produce the greatest benefit in your personal or professional life?

Feel free to play around with different combinations of these four words, to discover even greater value in this exercise.

“Don’t try to teach a whole course in one lesson.”

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“Don’t try to teach a whole course in one lesson.”

—Kathryn Murray, Ballroom Dancer

Photo from Flickr by Shaver Ross

Photo from Flickr by Shaver Ross

Two months into the new year and already I see a large number of people frustrated, slowed down, or completely stopped in the pursuit of their personal and/or professional goals.

One of the most common reasons for setbacks is the desire and attempt to do too much too quickly, which results in being overwhelmed, losing focus, and of course, a lack of the anticipated results.

It is appropriate, in such situations, to regroup and establish a new course of action with far fewer steps and far more finite and reasonable expectations.

EXERCISE:

Select one – and only one – important professional or personal project that is not going as you desire where you have tried to do too much too quickly.

Break this project into smaller, more digestible nuggets and spread them out over a longer time frame, to achieve the results you wanted the first time.

“We all want to say yes…”

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“We all want to say yes, because with yes comes so much opportunity, but with power of no comes focus and engagement.”
—Jared Leto, American actor, singer, songwriter, and director.

Image from Amazon.com

Image from Amazon.com

Today’s quote immediately brought to mind William Ury’s 2007 book, The Power of the Positive No.

Ury is a renowned negotiator, mediator, and Harvard professor who saw the need to stop some of the madness of the limitless choices in our high stress world. He promotes the concept of a “positive NO” to make room for what really counts – our own needs, values, and priorities.

EXERCISE:

How will the power of the positive NO provide you the level of focus and engagement you need to bring about the YESES for your most important opportunities?

in-focus picture in my head

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 “I never hit a shot – not even in practice – without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head.”

– Jack Nicklaus, American professional golfer

Jack NicklausImage from Flickr by hankinsphoto.com

Jack Nicklaus is considered by many the best golfer of all time. His accomplishments are far too many to describe here. Today’s quote is great coaching for all of us looking to achieve mastery and excellence in any area.

The power of a clear and compelling vision for some future event, even if it is a golf shot, is fundamental to mobilizing our thoughts and actions to make it so. Nicklaus and most people of great achievement seem to have a razor-sharp consistent and persistent ability to concentrate and focus on the prize.

Exercise:

Revisit the pivot point / self-coaching exercise first described here:

www.thequotablecoach.com/effort-2/it-is-common-sense-to-take-a-method-and-try-it-if-it-fails-admit-it-frankly-and-try-another-but-above-all-try-something

Use it to clearly determine your current reality, envision a sharp and focused future, and then, like Nicklaus, take the shot toward your goal.

Don’t be surprised if you hit your mark more often than ever before.

the highest advantage

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“You can rest assured that if you devote your time and attention to the highest advantage of others, the universe will support you.”

– R. Buckminster Fuller, architect and inventor

About a year ago, I picked up a copy of Dan Sullivan’s book The Laws of Lifetime Growth. Law #3 states that we should always make our contribution bigger than our reward.

Both Fuller and Sullivan suggest that a focus on creating new kinds of value for others expands our relationship with the outside world and somehow magically attracts new rewards and opportunities to us in return.

Exercise:

Imagine that giving to others and supporting their highest advantage is like making consistent daily bank deposits, and that these investments always have a high rate of return through the magic of compound interest.

Don’t stumble over something behind you

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“Don’t stumble over something behind you.”

– Seneca, Roman Stoic philosopher

Where do you live? I don’t mean your country,  city, or state. Ultimately, we all live in our thoughts, regardless of our physical location.

With this in mind, how often do your thoughts go to past events and experiences that were negative and upsetting? As humans, we have the ability to instantly travel back in time, to revisit and yes, stumble over these same events along with all their limiting feelings.

Exercise:

Imagine that you are born with a  factory-installed time machine with three settings: past, present and future. How can you, through greater self-awareness and intentionality, limit your negative journeys backwards to maximize your experiencing of the present?  Perhaps you could venture forward from time to time into the delightful possibilities of the future!

“If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.”

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“If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.”

– Author Unknown

These days, high value is placed on one’s ability to multitask to enhance productivity.

The evidence regarding the productivity gains is controversial at best, with many examples of serious downsides – just look at texting while driving a car.

There’s no question that focusing on one high-priority task at a time pays huge dividends. There’s considerable evidence that most productive people do just that, then move on the next high-priority task, thus giving the appearance of multitasking.

Exercise:

Use your calendar to break up your day into highly focused priority items, and take them on one at a time.

If another rabbit comes in sight, make sure you choose only one to chase. After all, one is far better than none.