FOCUS: Lessons from a Lion Tamer
by Lee J. Colan, Ph.D.
Think of the last time you went to the circus. Remember the lion tamer? Every courageous lion tamer uses three tools to control his fierce companions prowling around the cage: a whip, a stool, and a handful of tasty snacks. But, which of these tools is most valuable to the tamer?
When the lion tamer lifts the stool to face his snarling friends, the lions see the four stool legs and cannot focus on a particular leg. As a result, they stand frozen. Unfortunately, the same can happen to us when we try to focus on too many things—we freeze or we might focus on the wrong things. Either option will take the roar out of our success.
Here are eight tips from 107 Ways to Stick to It that highly successful people have used to sharpen their focus:
#1 - Determine one goal, the "one thing" that is most important to you or your team. Never let anything less important take priority over it. To help identify your "one thing," ask yourself two questions:
What can I be the very best at?
What am I absolutely passionate about?
The place where your two answers intersect will help you focus in on your "one thing." Josh Billings advises, "Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there."
#2 - Know when to say "No." Your time, energy and money are precious resources - if you spend them in one area, you cannot spend them in another area. Saying "Yes" to one thing means saying "No" to something else. Say "No" to anything that prevents you from focusing on what's most important to you.
#4 - Keep it very simple. Complexity is the enemy of focus. Simplicity keeps the line of sight to your goal clear and direct.
#5 - Apply the 80/20 rule in your life. This means that the most productive 20% of your activities is 16 times more productive than the remaining 80%. Identify the 20% of your tasks or activities that produce 80% of your results. Then, focus on the "vital few"—the 20%—instead of the "trivial many."
#9 - Look for yellow cars. When was the last time you saw a yellow car? You might see a yellow car once a day or so. Now, for the next week, check out how many yellow cars you see. Since you've now been alerted to yellow cars, you will probably observe many more of them than you had previously. Is it because there are more yellow cars on the street? Of course not. You just sharpened your alertness. When we become aware of something—a new goal, a new way of doing things, an opportunity—we tend to see more of that thing. Pay attention to the "yellow cars"—those people, opportunities, insights, and skills around you that might help you achieve your goals.
#15 - Life rewards action... so dive in and get to work! Future tasks usually appear larger than they really are. Being in the process provides clarity, diminishes the perceived effort required, and builds momentum toward your goal.
#25 - Worry wrecks your focus. We all worry... the trick is to minimize the time between your first worried thought and your first action to attack it. Remember, much of our worry is based on concerns in our minds, not reality. Mark Twain once said, "I've suffered a great many
catastrophes in my life. Most of them never happened."
#28 - We draw into our lives what we constantly think about—good or bad. As Earl Nightingale said, "We become what we think about." If you are always thinking about why you can't seem to get a break, when the next shoe will drop in your relationship, or why you don't get as much recognition as your colleague, you are programming your mind (and those around you) to make those thoughts your reality. If you find yourself having a negative thought, say "STOP!" out loud and replace it with a positive thought. Saying "STOP!" out loud is important so that you can hear yourself controlling your own thinking.
Check out 107 Ways to Stick to It for 99 more tips. In the words of Buddha, "Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes."
