Tag Archives: focus

Focus on the force…

May 4, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“Your focus determines your reality.”

Qui-Gon Jinn

It seems appropriate to use a quote from a Star Wars character on May the fourth. I imagine most folks won’t know the source (I didn’t either, in full disclosure), but the wisdom within is powerful regardless of whether a “reel” person said it.  

You can apply this to almost every possible expenditure of your precious life energy.  

If you focus on the things that make you angry, you will be angry. 

If you focus on the people you love, you will feel love.

If you focus on the things that don’t matter, your life won’t matter.  

If you focus on being a force OF good, your life will be a force FOR good. Maybe there is something to this “force” stuff.  

May the force be with you…

How’s the space in your mind?

March 3, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.”

Marcus Aurelius

In today’s age setting aside the time and space to create a “quiet mind” is almost viewed negatively. It is socially more acceptable to be busy all the time than to give oneself space to read, reflect and learn—what a shame. 

Progress and growth aren’t created in the margins of life; it is made when one makes room for a blank page to do the new and creative work. To build strength, you must give yourself space to breathe, think and reflect.

What are you willing to turn off to allow yourself this space?  

a notebook with blank pages beside a pen and cup of coffee
Photo by Cup of Couple on Pexels.com

Will it make the boat go faster?

February 27, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , Leave a comment

“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.”

Winston Churchill

I recently heard the story of the British Rowing Team, who in 1998, after a 7th place finish in the World Rowing Championship, realized that if they wanted to break free from mediocrity, they would have to do something very different. Their answer was to use one clarifying question to bring a relentless focus on the goal they sought to achieve. Their question was, “will it make the boat go faster” and they used this query to frame every decision they made both individually and as a team. As a result, two years later, they successfully won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics.  

What does this have to do with today’s quote? Great question. In today’s world, distractions are more accessible than ever. It is easy to find “barking dogs” to throw stones at and find oneself pulled further and further away from the things that matter. So before investing time and energy into ANYTHING, perhaps it would make sense to tune into the clarifying question that brings focus to your life and allows you to put down the stones and bring all your energy to bear on reaching your destination.   

What’s your “will it make the boat go faster” question?

Focus on a target and hold it there…

February 22, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“I don’t care how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don’t harness it and focus it on a specific target and hold it there, you’re never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants.”

Zig Ziglar

Getting started is easy. Choosing a target is easy. Writing out a plan of attack, you guessed it, easy too. 

What’s hard? These four words, “and hold it there.”  Yet, this is the key to long-term success. This is the key to unlocking the potential buried inside yourself. One must have relentless drive, determination, persistence, and patience. Sticking with it, holding your focus when it gets hard, that’s when the magic happens.

Success isn’t a lottery ticket. You can’t depend on getting lucky; you count on doing the work, the hard, brutal, sweat-inducing work. To everyone on the outside, it might look easy, but you’ll know better. Hold it there… 

How is the water of your mind?

February 12, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“Your mind is like this water, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear.”

Bil Keane

In today’s hyper distracted and overbusy world, it takes extreme discipline to allow oneself the time to think and reflect on what is essential.

Sometimes the presentation of a simile brings everything into focus and can hit like a ton of bricks. That was my experience today when choosing this quote. 

It brings to mind a book I read last year, one of my favorites for 2021, “Stillness is the Key” by Ryan Holiday. Without intentional and planned stillness, one can’t think clearly. I think I might need to reread this one soon. It is time to let the water settle…

Author Unknown

What are you giving up in order to gain mastery?

January 30, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“At every moment, keep a sturdy mind on the task at hand, as a Roman and human being, doing it with strict and simple dignity, affection, freedom, and justice, giving yourself a break from all other considerations. You can do this if you approach each task as if it is your last, giving up every distraction, emotional subversion of reason, and all drama, vanity, and complaint over your fair share. You can see how mastery over a few things makes living an abundant and devout life possible.

Marcus Aurelius

Isn’t it amazing that the ability to focus was as challenging and impactful over 2,000 years ago as it is today? I can’t imagine what Marcus would think of our fragmented world with all the distractions and demands on attention.

There is so much insight in this quote. One could spend a lifetime trying to unpack and apply the wisdom found in these eighty-nine words. Ultimately less is more. Giving up the things that don’t matter for the few things that do and persist over time is how one builds a legacy that matters, not for oneself but others.  


What are the few things you can focus on mastering?

Are you making the right choice?

January 26, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the ‘best’ is often the ‘good.'”

Stephen Covey

Would you instead do three things well, or five or ten things poorly?  

Saying yes is easy; no is hard. This can apply whether in our professional or personal lives. We tend to take on too much, to over-commit, because we overestimate our capabilities and desires.  

What are the three most important things you want and need to accomplish this year? That’s your yes. Everything that gets in the way of getting this done must be pruned relentlessly. 

Here are the options; excellence or mediocrity. It’s your choice. Say yes to the right one.  

Are you prepared to conquer?

January 14, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“Energy & persistence conquer all things.”

Benjamin Franklin

What are the big things that you want to accomplish this year?

Will they happen by default, or will you have muster resources to enable success? I imagine that if your goals are like mine, they aren’t going to happen without a lot of dedicated and focused effort. And, if they are really good goals, the kinds that stretch you and move you out of your comfort zone, persistence will be necessary because you are likely to experience setbacks and failures along the way. 

So, what will you do today to invest energy into moving your goals forward? How are you preparing your mind for setbacks so that you can acknowledge them, learn, and then continue to move forward when they inevitably occur?  

This thing you are focused on, is it useful?

January 11, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

“What will your life have been, in the end, but the sum total of everything you spent it focusing on?”

Oliver Burkeman

As I have written before, one of my favorite questions to ask myself when faced with an emotional response to a situation or circumstance is, “Is this useful?” It can be incredibly clarifying and helpful in focusing life’s precious energy on what is and isn’t beneficial within a particular moment. Zooming out, I am thinking through applying this same question when faced with a decision about the investment of energy towards a project, initiative, or goal. 

“Is this useful?”

I guess the answer depends on whether or not you know what you are focusing on and why. In the end, how you answer this question will determine the impact your life has had on others. These are three simple words, yet they hold so much power when asked and answered.  

“Is this useful?”

Can you see your goals?

January 5, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“Your goal should be out of reach but not out of sight.”

Anita Defrantz

What are your goals for this coming year? Are they written down? Have you created a constant and daily reminder that helps you lift your gaze from the grindstone of effort to ensure that you remember why you are doing the work the in the first place? 

It’s okay if the goal scares you and you don’t know precisely how you will get there. However, when going gets tough, and it will, you must have the intestinal fortitude to keep going and slog through the efforts that might be necessary for your goal to become a reality.  

How can you possibly motivate yourself to do the hard work if you can’t remember where you are going and why it matters in the first place?

Are you content to be flying on autopilot?

January 3, 2022 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

“There’s nothing more important than knowing where you’re going.”

J.J. Abrams

There is an old saying that “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” Unfortunately, life can be a lot like this. If one isn’t careful, the autopilot feature can kick on, and suddenly, you’ll look around and realize time has passed by and you can’t remember how you got to where you are, and if you even want to be there! 

Oh, how easy it is to slip into this trap of an autopilot life where every day is a repeat of the last, a myriad of fires to be put out, and a never-ending stream of moles that must be whacked.  

What is the antidote to an seemingly automatic life? Where is the off switch that puts you back in the driver’s seat, intentionally driving to the correct destination? For me, it starts with a focus on my Faith. When I am paying attention to the purpose of my life and why God has put me down a particular path, the road seems clear. When I allow myself to be in charge or think that I am in control, suddenly the world is a little less clear, and the destination less confident.  

Find your path, set your destination, align with drives you, check the map regularly and turn off your autopilot. The next year will fly by; you might as well get somewhere on purpose.  

Learning to love less…

December 28, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“The less I needed, the better I felt.”

Charles Bukowski

Over the past six months, I have chosen to put down my daily blogging habit. It happened because I missed a few days due to work; there was just too much going on at the moment in July when I last posted regularly. Over these past five months, something has been missing, and it wasn’t that I needed more time; I needed more intentionality with my time. I have realized how much I enjoyed writing for 15-30 minutes each day and reflecting on the meaning of a particular quote. I genuinely don’t know how many people, if any, read this blog regularly. But that isn’t why I write. I write because it is a meaningful use of time for me. It creates focus and discipline in my life. 

What does that have to do with today’s quote? Perhaps not much at all. But as I reflect on the year behind and make plans for the year ahead, it is apparent that less is truly more. The fewer distractions one has, the more focused you can be on the things that really matter. The better people that you have surrounded yourself with in life, the more impact you can have for others.  

As I wrap up 2021 and reflect on all the changes that the past year has carried, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn the value of less. I am excited about what is to come in 2022 and opportunities to serve more people in a balanced and intentional manner. It starts with picking up an old habit and writing again. It’s good to be back.  

Are you watching stars or satellites?

November 13, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“We need to learn to set our course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship.”

Omar Bradley

I recently spent some time in Montana, and the brilliance of the stars in the night sky was simply incredible. It was indeed one of the most impressive things I have ever seen.

I remember looking at the stars early one morning and seeing a moving “star” across the sky. It wasn’t a star at all but merely a satellite, something that was bright and moving but impermanent and gone in just a few moments. As soon as it was out of my field of vision, my focus returned to the stunning constellations and bright stars that people have viewed for millennia.

It can be so easy to shift attention to the newest shiny star in the sky. But those aren’t stars at all; they are merely distractions from the path. They are satellites that move and are gone from view. Focus on the stars instead.

What do you see?

July 14, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Do you see your life as a series of challenges that you must endure or work, hard work, on the path to building your cathedral?  

Do you have the right numbers?

July 3, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies.”

Thomas Paine

A few exceptional and committed people can accomplish almost anything.  

It’s been my experience that if you double the size of the team and halve the degree of commitment, 25% of the work will be done.

Which team do you want to be part of?

Greatness is built on the small things…

May 23, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

Vincent Van Gogh

What is the “great thing” that you are focused on right now? Is it clearly defined in your mind? Can you almost touch it because it feels so real?  

Now for the critical question. How are you going to make this become a reality?  

Great things are never accomplished through simple wishes and desires. It takes hard and focused efforts, on the small things day in and day out, that bring greatness to life.  

The real question is, what are the small things you are working on today, that will mean something incredible tomorrow? Rinse and repeat daily; that’s when the magic happens.  

Focus is the antidote to average…

May 16, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”

Bruce Lee

Laser-like focus isn’t average or easy. The person who can demonstrate the discipline to say no to of this magnitude is hardly average. What three things should you have said “no” to today?

What record are you creating today?

April 19, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“You are what your record says you are.”

Bill Parcells

This is entirely true if the only place you look is in the rearview mirror. The key is to remember that your work today will create the record you reflect back on tomorrow and in the future. Make it count; your record is a reflection of the focus and effort you bring to the table every single day. 

Are you ready for spring?

March 31, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“Always remember, your focus determines your reality.”

George Lucas

There is something so powerful about the spring season’s coming, maybe this year more than any in recent memory. New growth, fresh opportunities, new people to serve, and distinct experiences to create are just some of the promises brought to life in the season of growth.  

Our ability to embrace the hope of the new season is dependent on our ability to discern and focus on what is truly valuable. Are you focused on the things that matter this spring? 

What are you going to do about it?

February 12, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“Do more of what makes you happy. Make memories that you will cherish forever. Remember that health, family, and happiness are the most important things in life. Follow your dreams and don’t hold back.”

Aysel Gunar

If you don’t do the things above, does your life truly matter?  

What gets in the way of building a life where you follow your dreams and live for the important things? Are the things that get in the way more important than memories, health, family, or happiness? More important than your dreams?  

If the answer is no, then what are you going to do about it?

Happiness lies in unlocking your “no.”

February 10, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.”

T.D. Jakes

Passion can enable your purpose. Your purpose can also enable your passion. Regardless of whether it lives under the label of “passion” or “purpose,” the critical question to answer is, “why do you do what you do?” If you can’t answer this, then why are you doing it?

The real value in defining your passion and purpose is that they enable you to say “no” to all of the things which will inevitably try and get in the way. Purpose and passion aren’t just a means to an end; they are the great clarifiers of our lives. Solve for these, and you will have the freedom to say “no.”

Review your day with the beginning in mind…

January 24, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“I will keep constant watch over myself and – most usefully – will put each day up for review. For this is what makes us evil – that none of us looks back upon our own lives. We reflect only upon that which we are about to do. And yet our plans for the future descend from the past.”

Seneca

One of the most impactful habits I have added to my routine is a morning preview and an afternoon/evening review. Doing this has enhanced my ability to focus on only what is most important and ensure that I hold myself accountable for what I committed to accomplishing on any given day.

Try taking five minutes in the morning to start your day with focus and intention. Then follow up at the end to take stock of your performance against your plans for the day.

Here are the questions I am currently using in my “Kickstart” and “After Action Review” journal. Give something like this a shot; you might find it to be a very beneficial exercise.

XX/XX/21 – 2021 – Day Focus Headline:

AM Kickstart:

Today I am grateful for…

What would make today great? What is the most important thing I must accomplish today?

Daily Affirmation Statement:

PM After Action Review:

Three things that happened today?:

Did I achieve my specific focus goal for the day? Why / Why Not?:

How could I have made today better?:

Are you practicing what you love?

January 16, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.”

Ray Bradbury

What do you love to do so much that it doesn’t feel like work? What are the things that you do where the work itself is the joy and the reward? How much of your incredibly finite time do you spend doing those things? What prevents you from spending most of your time on the things where the practice and hard work are an exercise of love and passion? 

Answer these questions, and you begin to unlock your full potential.  

You must choose to create the things you want to be grateful for…

January 9, 2021 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

“We pass through this world but once.”

Stephen Jay Gould

If you had the chance, what would you have told yourself to do differently one year ago today? One month ago today? One week? Yesterday at this exact time?  

Time is finite, and we don’t have the chance to go back and redo any of it. Each day is a precious journey that can’t and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Even though we all know this, it is still easy to make poor choices and live as though we have an infinite amount of time here on earth.  

Try this; think forward to this exact time tomorrow morning. What is the one thing you want to reflect on with gratitude tomorrow regarding how you spent the past twenty-four hours?  

Please write it down and then make it happen. You’ll thank yourself tomorrow…

What is failure?

December 28, 2020 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.”

Johnny Cash

I love this quote because, for me, it defines the difference between failure and growth. If you do the things listed here, then it isn’t a failure.   It is merely an experience that didn’t turn out the way you wanted.  Then you can learn from it and go forward better and smarter.  

Failure is refusing to learn.  

Failure is blaming someone or something else.  

Failure is quitting.  

Failure is letting the past control you instead of owning the opportunity to do something better based on the first-hand experience of what doesn’t work.

You can’t measure success by looking in the rear view mirror…

December 18, 2020 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“The whole point of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone.”

Oswald Chambers

What is the most important thing you wanted to accomplish today? Not the top three or five tasks, but the one thing that had to happen to make today a success? Did you start the day with a focus on where you needed to direct your time and energy?  

It is only by intentionally deciding what you must get done that you enable yourself to say no to the things that will inevitably come up and stand in the way of what is truly essential.  

Was today a success? If you didn’t start the day with a well-defined plan, how would you even know? You can’t define success in a rear view mirror…

Living for the big picture means being present in each moment…

December 15, 2020 By in Leadership Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

“The trick to forgetting the big picture is to look at everything close up.”

Chuck Palahniuk

If you only look at the big picture, you miss all the beauty buried in the nuances of life. You miss the sound of the owl’s call, the joy of a child seeing something for the first time, the temporal whisp of the present moment which is gone all too quickly like smoke in the wind.  

Joy lives in the present moment, and while the big picture matters, it is only in the immediate second that you can make choices that impact the big picture. Make those decisions wisely and intentionally. You never get the time back…

Sometimes there are better questions than why…

December 2, 2020 By in Leadership Tags: , , Leave a comment

“Your peace is more important than driving yourself crazy trying to understand why something happened the way it did. Let it go.”

Mandy Hale

Sometimes “Why?” is the wrong question to ask. Much better questions are, “What are you going to do about it?” And “How are you going to learn from this?”

The bottom line is that if you have to drive yourself crazy about something, you should at least make it productive.  

Are you listening to the brave voice in your mind?

November 29, 2020 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I will try again tomorrow’.”

Mary Anne Radmacher

Courage is an outward demonstration of inner strength. It is the choice to persevere even when you are scared. It is the willingness to look fear in the face and still act.  

Sometimes our most courageous act is stripping all the non-essentials away and focusing on what matters. Every day we have an opportunity to show our bravery in this regard. Every day is the chance of a lifetime to make the bold decision to act in a manner that demonstrates what we genuinely believe. Listen to the voice in your mind and if you weren’t successful today, be brave tomorrow.

A bit of butter scraped over too much bread…

November 27, 2020 By in Leadership Tags: , , , Leave a comment

“Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.”

Josh Billings

One of the most profound lines from J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” is uttered by Bilbo Baggins. “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

I have always loved this line, probably because it hits so close to home for me. Butter spread too thin doesn’t add much value to the bread. How much of our lives do we waste trying to spread ourselves too thin, attempting to “do more,” and instead of creating more value, we end up barely making the impact we are truly capable of delivering.

Rather than trying to cover and be everything, perhaps we should learn to use less bread? Maybe we simply need to learn to say “NO?”

Think of it this way; how does the bread taste when it has too little butter on it? Does it create an appetite for more? Instead of accomplishing our desire to “do more,” we might just be turning people off to what we have to give…

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dusty

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