Sunday Story...Focus, Re-Focus

Sunday Story…Focus, Re-Focus

"The world beyond will not belong to 'managers' or those who can make the numbers dance. The world will belong to passionate, driven leaders -- people who will not only have enormous amounts of energy but who can energize those whom they lead."
— Jack Welch
Businessman and CEO of General Electric

OK…Every week I sit down in front of this computer screen and these words magically appear and I send them out to all of you to read. At least that’s the way it seems most of the time. I have some idea, or some catalyst that starts the ball rolling and WHAM! the next thing I know the thing is done. I have this laser beam of focus that seems to keep me on task. But sometimes it is more difficult than others. And I think we all experience this halting step from time to time.

Maybe you are worried about your finances or your job. Maybe you are falling in love or falling out of love. Maybe the people closest to you are having difficulties with their health. Maybe you just can’t seem to get your head around what it is you are supposed to be doing.

There are a myriad of distractions in this world we live in today. Cell phones, computers, personal music devices, video games, and television just to name a few. It is so easy to get sucked into the vortex of hyper-communication and “busy-ness”. How many time have you said…”I am so busy, I barely have time to turn around” or something like that. The laundry, the dishes, the kids, the job, and the spouse, all call to us incessantly.

All of these things can make it hard to focus on what really matters. All those bells and whistles calling out, all the siren calls are pulling us in different directions. What can you do to stay true to your purpose, stay on course with your mission?

There are 4 questions I ask myself when I am doing anything:
1. How am I making a difference?
2. Is what I am doing right now on purpose?
3. Is this what I really want to do?
4. Am I following my passion?

Here are some simple tips and tricks to get you back on track (some of them obviously work since you are reading this today!):
Step away from the desk…get outside, take a brisk walk, breath some fresh air
• Get your mission statement out, go to the nearest mirror and start reading it aloud to your self
• Meditate…take 15 minutes to just sit and let your mind clear, concentrate on your breath going in and out.
• Read a short inspirational passage in your favorite book
• Get your hair shirt out and beat yourself with a stick (not really, just checking to see if you are paying attention)
• Train/exercise
• Call a friend and tell them your problem, maybe they will have a spark for you.

In the face of adversity or in the jaws of difficulty, the truly purpose driven person will find a way to fulfill their purpose, their mission. This is one of the ways we know we are on the right track. When the entire world is cracking up you can only see the mission. When the crew is mutinying and threatening to throw you overboard you find the right words to get them back on the job. When every fiber of your being is resisting and fighting, you relax, breathe, and push forward knowing the mission is right and the purpose is there to be fulfilled.

This is leadership in the new world. This is visionary, purposeful living. We are all leading, if only ourselves. So lead yourself where you want to go, not where the wind will blow you.

Namaste

John
“Teaching Focus, Inspiring Transformation”

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