James Redfield- “Where Attention goes Energy flows; Where Intention goes Energy flows!”
When I got the invite to attend the Lagos soiree of the Exclusive Man of the Year 2023 Awards(EMY Awards) I was excited by the fact that there was an Awards dedicated to honouring men. The men all of a sudden seem to be fighting for a space at the table they once held sway. While I admit that looking around we still see men in the captain of the industry positions, there just seems to be less platforms where they are celebrated. I digress. And this is the purpose of this article; staying focused in spite of everything.
In 2015, the Exclusive Man of the year was born. Founded by Kojo Soboh, a Ghanaian, he discovered his talent in Junior high school, a period when most of us had no idea who or what we wanted to be.
It struck me that he would stick at an award that focused on recognizing remarkable men for their exceptional accomplishments, contributions and inspirations that foster change in an era where the huge spotlight is on the female. To be able to stick to one thing and make a success of it in the face of distractions and challenges is no easy feat. Today the world is at our fingertips and while it males living easier it is the bane of focus. So many news items, businesses, get-rich quick schemes, new fads, shares and the list goes on fighting, competing, begging for our attention and we can get caught up. Then life plays its drums, family, friends, needs, wants jostling for a mindshare and all these can keep one unfocused. So, it takes sheer willpower and determination to stay focused on a goal and keep at it year after year till the full actualization of the goal is attained.
In every success story, the longest chapter is the one about determination.
While success demands many things from us, willpower and determination always come up at the top of the list. To harness your determination and stay FOCUSED.
Why focus? Because it is the gateway to all thinking: perception, memory, learning, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making.
Without good focus, all aspects of your ability to think will suffer! Here’s a simple reality: “If you can’t focus effectively, you can’t think effectively.”-psychology today.
Know the “why” behind the goal you set for yourself and future. This is the bullseye of your focus. It is crucial as it will serve as a motivator. Laser beam on them. Build the goals with details. Each building block will go on the other to build the ultimate vision. The more details you can put in, the better. Become emotionally involved with the visualization by putting music, videos, or anything that provides you with an emotional charge. The emotional connect is hugely important, as this will motivate you to keep moving toward your goal. The most difficult activities will not get easier because you fret about them or put them off. You will only waste energy that would be better spent by just doing what has to be done. Our minds are sharpest in the morning and that is when we should tackle the tough jobs. After these are out of the way, we can relax and take care of the more routine work that doesn’t require much in the way of mental strain, ability, and energy. These are all ways to stay focused.
Start your day the night before. This refers to getting prepared for the day ahead; this puts you in a vantage position even for yourself. We tend to procrastinate and leave the morning to do things we could have set up when we arent in a rush to do like get to bed and in the morning we find ourselves rushing, This muscle that you will build helps to build the muscle of focus. Getting into the habit of planning your day in advance will remove your easiest decisions from the table, making it easier to avoid getting sidetracked and wasting time and energy on small, unimportant things.
Real emergencies will come up and have to be dealt with but the majority of situations that do come up to distract us are not emergencies and do not require us to respond right away. Many of these situations will resolve themselves on their own with time. If it is not one call for financial help or the other or someone looking for a solution to a problem, it will be something else. So, pace yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Responding to these requests immediately will only set you up to receive more. Believe it or not! By not responding, you are sending a message that you are a strong-willed, focused person who is very busy and over time you will be bothered less by trivial, time-wasting matters. Distraction will always knock your doors. It is your choice, what you choose between focus vs distraction.
Focus on the big picture and not the distraction. Let us not forget what distractions are and why it is important to keep them at bay. Distractions take away your attention and makes you lose FOCUS Distractions can be external (such as noise) or internal (such as fatigue, mind cartwheels or stress). Distractions may be caused by a number of factors, including the loss of interest in the primary activity, inability to pay attention due to various reasons, or intensity of the distraction. Remember that distractions reduce your capacity to be your best. Distractions actually would most likely not get you to your promised land. SO STAY FOCUSED.
