Focus on the Focus

I often use this saying when I am coaching my FITness classes during a rigorous workout.

Why?

We can focus on many things or a few things. We can focus on bad or negative things. Or we can focus on great things we are going to do or who we are going to become. The choice is completely up to you. But which direction you decide will lead you down the path your life will take.

The ability to manage your focus is one of your greatest powers. What you put your attention on determines what you accomplish, how you feel, and what you will handle in life. You could say it has the biggest influence what can happen to you in life.

Every day I listen to what people are saying, and more in specific, the actual words that are coming out of their mouths. When I hear…

"I can't do a pull-up." "I have no time." "I can't afford it." "I don't mean to be negative." "I'm not trying to make EXCUSES."

If I hear that type of language from that person consistently I feel I have a pretty good idea where they are headed for their future, and it's not good.


Why? Focus feeds a habit.

If you are saying those words you have to be thinking about them more. The more you think about them you are channeling your focus and attention towards it. Whatever you focus on, your life will head in that direction. There is a HIERARCHY OF GOAL SETTING that explains your reality starts with the thoughts you are thinking. The more you focus on those thoughts (good or bad) you will start behaving with those actions. The more you focus and behave with those actions you will begin to create those consistent habits. The more you focus, behave, act and create those habits you will shape your character. Then your character will create your destiny and the life you will have.

Experiment Example.

Grab a friend. Stand behind him and ask him to focus on everything in the room that is blue. Ask him to make a mental note of each blue item he can see in front of him. When he is done ask him to close his eyes and ask him to tell you about everything in the room he sees that was the color yellow or any other color that isn't blue. More than likely he will laugh and say, "I can't". That is because his brain spent all his conscious energy focusing exclusively on blue. It labeled all the other colors insignificant and didn't even see them. That is how our mind works. Once we start exclusively looking for the blue we have trouble finding any yellow. Just as when we look for what we don't like or don't have we see and remember only that. With the opposite being true. 

How Focus Works…

Our conscious mind can only focus on about 7 chunks of data per second after that it loses focus.

For example, when you are trying to drive, read your GPS, drink coffee, listen to the radio, talk on your cell phone and check yourself out on the rear view mirror you can easily forget about the most important thing you are doing… DRIVING! By that you run the risk of crashing your car into another person, place or things on the road. Even if you are not in the car it is never a good idea to spread your focus too thin. Think of your focus as the area that a small flashlight can illuminate in a dark room. There may be tons of things in the room but you can only see what that beam of light is shining on. The same holds true with mental focus. There are an infinite amount of things to pay attention too. Yet our focus limits us to a relative few and these few are of prime importance.

Bottom line if you focus on what you want for example your better body, better career, upgrading all areas of your life and continue to focus on them you will begin to think, act and eventually gravitate towards them. If you focus on what you don't have or want you can end up getting exactly that! Let your focus be your compass to where you go and what you achieve with your life. 

I always like to say, "Tell me what you want. Stop telling me what you don't want."

Call to Action.

Open up the comments and type down everything you have and are thankful for in your life right now that you can focus on.

How can you change your focus this year? What will you do different from 2012?