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How To Balance Enthusiasm With Discipline
By: Abdullah Nadeem
Tags: Self Improvement, Focus, Discipline, Self, Balance

1. Don’t work every day

We’re aware that with consistency comes results. However, in order for real results to show, we need to maintain a drive and passion for our work. That hunger to work comes from taking a break and stepping away.

If we’re constantly working, we lose that hunger and urge to keep going, and what used to be passion has now turned into burnout and exhaustion.

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” — Anne Lamott

2. Avoid comparison

We are all on our separate journeys, and sometimes, including myself, we can fall into the trap of comparing our progress with our peers.

Social media acts as a blanket that covers failure. The majority of the time, we don’t get to see the 100 failed attempts before success, and therefore, we would give up on our 99th attempt.

Have faith that your work will pay off and avoid comparison.

“Comparison is the theft of joy.” — Theodore Roosevelt

3. Manage your energy, not your time

I picked up this idea from Thomas Oppong. Your energy, motivation, and will to work ‘dips’ as the day progresses, it’s important to plan accordingly and do your best and high-level work when you peak in the day, whether that’s in the afternoon or evening.

The work with the most priority will get done to its best capability, as you have the most energy. During slump time, try taking a walk, relax with the family, or even take a power nap for 10 to 20 minutes. This will allow you to maintain your enthusiasm and energy to work — improving your discipline.

Have a great week!

Abdullah

Check out my FREE eBook with tips for anyone on how I got rejected from medical school to getting within the top 10% in the UK.
7 WAYS TO LOOK CONFIDENT WHEN YOU ARE NOT
By: Sushil Kamtess
Tags: Self Improvement, Body Language, Focus, Smile, Confidence

Self confidence is the most important key to succed in any field of life. We all know the importance of the self confidence, it brings us new opportunities in life and help us to grow in life. A confident man can get things done while others were just wasting thier time in making plans. Inspite of this fact we all get confused and feel stressed at times weather for job interwiew or a date with a person of whom we. Public meetings and any other social gatherings can also make us feel scary. We can be more confident by applying this simple tricks to look confident.

1. STAND TALL

Standing tall can change the way you appear, when you stand tall with your spine straight and use more space by keeping your shoulders back makes you look more confident. First impression is the last impression when we make our first move right we automatically feel confident. Body langauge is the langauge which can tell about any person before the person start to speak. So make sure that your body language should be good and confident . On the other hand people who slouch and minimise thier bodies tend to be viewed as unconfident or uncertain. Standing tall can make your impression as a confident man. Good posture can viewed yor as a person who works on his fitness and looks. You can also practise the ‘power pose’ before entering the room by streching your arms above your head or by putting your hands on your hips with wide elbows. These power poses are proved to improve confidence, but you can look sily by doing this at time of your event so use this as your preliminary ritual.
Keep It Simple-Management Lessons from the Movie “Sully”
By: Karthikeyan K
Tags: Leadership, Decision Making, Teamwork, Focus

Focused Mindset

The movie is about the extraordinary story of how Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger expertly piloted 155 people to safety in an emergency crash landing on the Hudson River. A bird strike had incapacitated both of the plane’s engines causing the emergency landing. This was one rare plane crash that ended positively.

Lesson 1: Focus on the NOW

In his parting words, the man who trained young Sully to fly said: “Whatever happens, just fly the plane.” When the plane was hit by an unforeseen situation, Sully had to wrap his head around the reality of the situation and made decisions quickly. He reduces the problem down to its basics, at that moment, Sully only cared about three things: altitude, airspeed, and the angle of attack, and took a snap judgment to land in the river.

Lesson 2: Reduce Complex Situations to the Simple

When faced with complexity, there is great value in identifying what is most important, here saving lives. Our job as leaders is to make the complicated simple. The hard truth is most leaders go through life doing what’s right in front of them, and not preparing, or bracing, for all the impacts ahead. In business, as in life, less is more. When you keep it simple, it makes “bracing for impact” easier, and it helps you prepare for, lead through, and recover from disruption.

Lesson 3: Give Credit

Though the media and the world treated him like a celebrity, his first words were: “This was a team effort and everyone did their jobs”. As a true leader, he passed on the credit to his team which stood through him.

Though the media and the world were treating him like a celebrity, his first words were: “This was a team effort and everyone did their jobs”. As a true leader, he passed on the credit to his team which stood through him.
Day 138 (A Hundred & Thirty-Eight) of 365 days
By: Arowora Motunrola
Tags: Concentration, Focus

Why is being focused so important in today’s world? What results happen when you’re focused? Does being focused make you less stressed? Happier? If it’s so important why don’t people focus more?

Being focused on one thing for a certain period allows you to do a better quality of work, more work gets done quicker, and your creative ideas flow easier. Being focused on one task at a time is less stressful on your mind. And being less stressed allows you to be happier.

What is not generally known is that a concentrated mind succeeds not only because it can solve problems with greater dispatch, but also because problems have a way of somehow vanishing before its focused energies, without even requiring to be solved. A concentrated mind often attracts opportunities for success that, to less focused individuals, appear to come by sheer luck.

A person whose mind is concentrated receives inspiration in his work and his thinking that, to duller minds, may often seem the proof of special divine favor. Yet such seeming “favors” are due simply to the power of concentration. Concentration awakens our powers and channels them, dissolving obstacles in our path, attracting opportunities, insights, and inspirations. In many ways, concentration is the single most important key to success.

With the development of technology, we started living in a fast world. In other words, we are quickly jumping from task to task and we are not accomplishing each task fully. There is a serious consequence affecting us; we all have a common concentration problem in the modern world. We, of course, need to keep paying attention to learn and remember things, but the essential problem is how to make ourselves more attentive and focused. We first learn to focus by making ourselves do it repeatedly until it becomes a habit, a way of thinking.

The more focused we are, the more successful we can be at whatever we do. And, conversely, the more distracted we are, the less well we do.
Disconnect to Connect
By: Ashley D Aquila
Tags: Meditation, Nature, Relaxation, Focus

HOW SUBMERGING ONESELF IN NATURE CAN ACTUALLY RESET THE BRAIN TO WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY:

Let’s face it, today’s world is extremely fast-paced and shows no signs of slowing down. However, that doesn’t mean that you cannot slow yourself down. In fact, one of the best ways to recharge the overworked mind is to completely submerge oneself in the stillness that only nature can offer. Doing this can improve efficiency in everyday life routines and may require a little more thought than just walking through a park.

A SIMPLE LESSON TO CALM A COMPLICATED LIFESTYLE:

1. Pick a Place

* Locate an area close and easily accessible

* Make sure that place is somewhat quiet and away from the hussle and bussle of people, traffic and buildin

* Choose a location that will allow you to sit or easily walk and is surrounded by some sort of nature, albeit trees, mountains, streams, rivers, ponds etc…

2. Still the Mind

* Silence your electronics or better yet, turn them off completely as to avoid EMFs that may interfere with your bubble of bliss

* Pick a natural object in your near vicinity to focus on

* Take a couple moments to notice details within that object such as patterns, colors, textures and shapes. Touching the object may enhance focus and ground your attention.

* Close your eyes, take a deep breath and listen to yourself breath normally for a few seconds or longer for more relaxation.

* Open your eyes and look at the object again. Do you see it more clearly? Are the colors brighter? Perhaps you may even notice more lines and patterns within the object.

* Do this once again or several times until you feel any tension in within your mind and/or body has released.

2. Take the good-feels back

* Go back to your daily routines in work and life and observe the difference in mood changes and ability to handle everyday stresses.

* You may repeat this routine as much as necessary, but personally I recommend at least once a week to maintain the results.

Copyrighted photo by, Ashley D’Aquila
Today is the foundation of tomorrow…
By: Dusty Holcomb
Tags: Focus, Self Leadership, Life Lessons, Leadership, Daily Quotes

“Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.” Robert Kiyosaki

Maybe tomorrow will be the right time to start that project, but not today, I’m too busy…

Next week will be a better time to tackle that tough conversation head on, but not today, I just don’t have the energy to deal with it…

I’ll start reading that book on breaking bad habits next month, but not right now, there is just too much going on and I don’t have time…

I’ll start spending more time with my family when I get through this busy season at work, but I can’t right now, they’ll understand that I am doing this for them anyway…

It is amazing how many excuses we can create to put off or delay work that will make the biggest difference in our lives. In our “instant gratification” society it seems that all that matters is living in the moment. The easy things we embrace, but the hard things we put off or ignore. But if we want to create a tomorrow that we will be able to live in fully and completely, we have to do the work today.

Yesterday can’t be changed, fixed or undone. Tomorrow is just a dream. Today is the only day that matters if you want to make your visions come true. Live it fully and completely and do the work that will be the foundation for your future.
Hard Work
By: Nathan Waters
Tags: Focus, Desire, Life Lessons, Determination, Hard Work

Hard Work

Nathan Waters — Total Health Performance

Hard work is motivating to be around. It bonds people together and you see respect for others being built the longer the hard work continues. I don’t think there is anything else that brings people closer together, it is the best team builder.

One of the big things I have seen constantly in my sporting life, is that the harder you work along side someone who is putting in the same effort as you and has the same burning desire, the closer you will become. We love to be around like-minded people and we thrive on that feeling of accomplishment that comes when you finish a session and pushed your body to limits that you doubted were possible.

When you keep on going when you thought you had nothing left.

When you are so sore before even starting but end up beating your old personal best.

When you are flirting with that redline.

When you snap a body part but still finish the game and get your job done at the same level as when you are healthy.

Those are the times I feel alive.

You look at yourself and you know you have given everything you possibly could have. In a team environment, you look at your mates and you have no doubts. You know everyone gave their all and sacrificed themselves just as hard as you did. It is a little look into their soul. You know what drives them and what they are willing to do. You are truly connecting.

Because you can’t lie when it gets hard enough.

You can’t fake it when it gets ugly.

You are in, or you are out.

Things get simplified.

No amount of talk, money, followers on social media matter, it strips everything back. Your true character is on display.

We can all talk as much shit as we want, but when that time comes to push beyond comfortable, you either have to go or you are just another number in the crowd.

These people who push to their absolute limits, they are the ones I am searching for in my life. I don’t want to be around the theory talkers. I want to be around the ones sweating and bleeding and getting dirty.

You either find people with the like-minded mentality, or you build it. You build it by working hard yourself and upholding your standards every single day even when no one is watching. Then someone will join you. They will want to be a part of it. It starts as discipline but then people become proud of the efforts they are giving. That is what I see leadership as and how you build culture.

Hard work.

Honest effort.

We need more of it.
How to Hide Information in Cells in Google Sheets
By: Erica Martin
Tags: Focus, Spreadsheets, Productivity, Google, Data Science

How to Hide Information in Cells in Google Sheets

Photo by Dan Barrett on Unsplash

If you’ve read some of my previous articles, you know I like to use Google Sheets to track different goals. One thing I hate, though, is seeing information in unused cells, such as when I’m tracking progress to a goal. To me, it’s distracting to see information in cells I’m not using yet. I figured out how to hide unused cells in Google Sheets. I’ll explain how to do it here.

Why would you want to hide information in cells?

If you’re creating a spreadsheet that tracks a decreasing total, you have to copy the formula used to track the total into the total column. However, if you don’t hide this formula, you’ll see the total in that column, even in the cells you’re not using. Your spreadsheet will look something like this:

Screenshot/author

How do you hide the information?

The process is easy:

Type this formula in the first empty cell you want the information to appear in:

=if(C5="","",D4-C5)

You’ll replace the cell numbers in the formula with your own numbers, of course, but what that formula basically says is, if C5 is empty, then don’t show a total. Otherwise, show the difference of D4-C5. This is what the formula looks like in the spreadsheet :

Screenshot/author

That’s how to hide information in unused cells in Google Sheets. It’s an easy process once you understand the logic behind the formula. If you use this formula, any spreadsheet you create that shows a decreasing total, such as a check register, will always show the information in unused cells when needed and not before.
Taking bite sized chunks
By: Bronwyn Sheehan
Tags: Business, Focus, Working Moms, Entrepreneurship, Planning

Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash

— A Predator in the wild can’t bite and chew its prey all in one mouthful. It makes do with bite-size chunks, so work on that theory.

Who knew all of the roles of business ownership needed so much time and energy?

If you feel like you’re done nothing but surf social media, made another cup of coffee, got side tracked with the lastest glossy mag or tech gizmo while that never ending to-do-list grows longer by the hour, don’t give up or beat yourself up! Take a deep breath and know your have got this!

I’ve been there and done that, and it’s so easy to procrastinate and put off getting started. Time to get down to it and we both know it’s as simple as taking that first step!

Break it down into smaller increments … then take a break, clear the grey matter, reboot and sit down, plan what time you have left and what needs your urgent attention.

First step — done. Feel how good that is! Do the next job on the list. Feel how good that is! Two done and dusted….

You get then idea … bite-sized bits. A Predator in the wild can’t bite and chew its prey all in one mouthful. It makes do with bite-size chunks, so work on that theory.

Here’s how I do it:

Each week I plan with a monthly overview (broken down into weeks) and prioritising billable clients hours, then dividing the remaining time on:

Social Media

Planning

Accounts

CEO time — overview of where your business is at.

Business Buddy time

Networking

Rest

Exercise

Personal time

At the end of every week I sit down and look at what I’ve achieved, what I’m yet to achieve, and then regardless of the outcome I acknowledge my ability to go it alone in the business world to myself.

Business is fluid. Things change, and as small business owners we need to make sure we don’t burn out, keep our mindset healthy and stress levels low while offering our services, or sales to the best of our ability.

Celebrate the wins and remember — You get then idea … bite-sized bits.

If you wold like to share how you conquer your working week & to do lists leave a comment.

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The Impact of Working Without Distractions
By: Jessika Bielig
Tags: Delivery, Flow, Focus, Mindfulness, Habits

How Did I Manage to Do That for Six Months?

In November 2020 I participated in a Flow Working Training from Dr. Antoine Larchez, which I can highly recommend. This is where I was introduced to the concept of Flow and how Flow Working could look like.

If you are not super experienced doing this, the best way is to use a structured format to prevent your habits from drawing you somewhere else. After experiencing the flow state myself by using this format, I decided with my colleague Coco to keep doing this at least until April 2021 and see how it goes. We knew the idea is great but were skeptical whether we would be able to go through with this.

Here are 3 tips that helped to keep this idea alive.

# 1 Block Your Flow Working Sessions Way Ahead of Time and Prioritize

This is the most important one.

Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash

We decided to block 3 hours of Flow Time twice a week. In the following months, I managed to attend almost all Flow Meetings. This was not always easy, when “more important projects” want to be squeezed into your calendar on short notice. What helped me was exactly that. I decided in the beginning to prioritize the Flow Meeting very high and by blocking the time weeks or months ahead, colleagues knew when I was available and when I was not.

# 2 Invite Others to Join the Flow Working Session

This is the fun one.

Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

The more the merrier 😊. I held most Flow Working Sessions with other colleagues. Usually 1–4 other people. It is easier to try out something new and get used to it when you do it with other people. Besides that, it motivated me a lot to see what my colleagues achieved in only 3 hours of flow and it strengthened our spirit of working focused and just getting stuff done.

# 3 Use a Structured Format

This is the obvious one.

Flow Working Template by Jessika Bielig

I created a template in miro, so people can easily follow the steps for the Flow Working Sessions. Even though I created the template and know it by heart, I use it every time. As a visual aid, it helps to bring the group together and it makes the steps easy to understand and everyone knows what is happening next.
How To Get Your Productivity Back
By: Olamobisi Fagoyinbo
Tags: Productivity, Mental Toughness, Mental Rut, Focus

How To Get Your Productivity Back

Ever had one of those days when you just can’t get anything done? You seat at your work station for hours on end just trying to do one thing. But your energy is low and getting into your days’ work just seems impossible. It’s hard, isn’t it?

Well, I’ve had days like that. Today especially has been one of those days. Seating in front of my system trying to complete just one task. Then moving to my work station to try to cut out just a few plush toy designs. Realising after hours of pushing myself that today is just not my day.

I’d like to blame it on the weather and how hot it’s become in the last few days (even hotter than the usual Lagos heatwave). But that’s not just it. I kinda went into this week with a slump and feeling mentally and physically exhausted. So I dare say it’s a combination of everything.

But the fact that I was able to write this post means what I’m about to tell you works. So you can rest in the knowledge that it’s a tested and true trick. Here’s how to get your productivity back.

Stop everything

The first thing you need to do is take a break. Get off your system, walk away from your work station, just leave everything and take a break. In this time, take a drink of water, stretch out then put a call through to a friend and talk about your rut. They’d likely remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing or give you some motivation.

Take a shower

Next, take a shower, preferably a cold one if you’re in a hot environment. Silly as it sounds, a cold shower eases tension and helps you relax not just physically but mentally. If you want to go the extra mile like I did today, exercise first. Work up some sweat then take a shower.

A short nap will do you good

If you haven’t been sleeping well then it’s time to let go and take a nap. There’s a chance all the things you need to do are running through your mind so it might be hard to really rest up. What you want to do is write down a list of the things you need to do and then put that list away. Penning down your thoughts should make it easier for you to relax and go to sleep.

Wake up and try again

For me, the first three steps were all it took to get me back to a good 70%. I do this every time I’m in a rut and it works like a charm. It basically just helps me refresh, recalibrate and refocus. So once you’ve done all these, try to get to work again and see how much you can get done.

If you’re lacking focus or just down and out, I think these steps will help you get your productivity back too. Let me know how it goes.
Low on insert-resource-here? Start small and trust the process.
By: Shaun Hughston
Tags: Focus, Growth, Productivity, Momentum, Automation

I get it: life’s busy. Unpredictable. Full of well-intentioned plans, and less-than-perfect execution.

When you’re in the midst of the daily grind, even when you’re at work on something you truly believe in, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the size of the task ahead.

The dreams we had for our businesses, while potentially achievable, bring with them much more work than we originally anticipated. Business is booming — we’re challenged to find down time. Business is struggling — it’s hard to fall asleep at night. Growth is great — until we see the growing pains it brings with it.

If you’re currently in the midst of any of these tensions, committing time and energy to the areas that are important but not urgent can feel counterintuitive. Grand ideas about streamlining company procedures, or revamping customer outreach, or migrating to a new CRM sit untouched as another email lands in our inboxes. 🤦

In the midst of the work, don’t forget the value of starting small. 🌱

Unable to fully commit to the system audit you know you really need? Identify one small workflow habit that’s costing manual time, and find a small and simple automation solution. (Think implementing a chatbot to help alleviate customer communication workloads.)

Got your eye on a dream app or program but don’t want to commit to the monthly fee? Jump into a free trial and give it a damn good run for its money. This could cost you nothing, and save you greatly in the long run.

Sick of ordering post-it notes? Start using the Notes app on your desktop and mobile. Better yet, install Evernote and keep all of your ideas, questions, interests and notes in one central location. Two minutes of your time keeps your thoughts close, not stuck to your desk.

Here’s some more two minute hacks that all contribute to saved time and increased energy…

Set up a Calendly account and never manually schedule a meeting again

Tell the Slackbot to set up a reminder for your next to-do instead of changing gears in the middle of your current task

Find your CRM’s personalised BCC address so your emails are automatically added to your leads and accounts as you send them

Schedule the same content across multiple social media platforms without needing to change windows in Buffer

I’m a big believer in the power of momentum. It’s the small changes we make that can fundamentally alter our trajectories for growth and impact, day in and day out. By reducing the pressure on yourself to ‘get it all together’ and simply picking up one new habit, tool or approach, you can move yourself (and your team) closer to your goals, one step at a time.

Have a great weekend — enjoy some downtime, and conserve your energy for the work that matters most.
I Tried to Do Two Things at Once
By: Soulo Mann
Tags: Learning, Focus, Stress, Attention, Decisions

It didn’t work

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

Whilst talking to a friend on the phone I also claimed a refund for a flight.

I gave neither task my full attention.

I clicked on the wrong option. I cancelled it. They were a no refund airline.

I have to stop my thinking about my calamity; it isn’t going to help the situation.

You should never attempt to do two things at once. It never pays.

How many times have you attempted to save some valuable time or money, by carrying out a personal task during your employer’s time, when you should be concentrating on your work?

And how many times does it backfire?

Your mess up causes stress, anxiety and leads to more bad decisions. It ends up costing you more time, more money.

As a result we find ourselves in situations which take double the time to fix.

Despite all the sense and practical logic you try to apply to your life, at a drop of a hat it can all fly out through the window.

Then our failings can gnaw and scratch away in our minds.

If you make a bad decision then you have to accept it. Realise your mistake. Learn from it. Move on. Become stronger.

But consider you’re lack of ability to conduct basic tasks, if you’re distracted.

So stay sharp.

Do only one thing at once.

And let that be taking one step towards working only 12 days in one year and living the life you want.
Love yourself first and everything else will fall into place.
By: Kalpi Mittal
Tags: Focus, Self Care, Self, Happiness, Self Love

A lot of us, especially those who have grown in huge Indian families, have seen the family members sacrificing their happiness, needs and wants for kids, grandkids and so on. Most middle class families have grown with limited resources and want to provide their future generations to the best of their abilities and in the process completely ignore themselves. Due to social conditioning, therefore, we do not believe in concepts like self-care, self-love, self-focus or at least they don’t come naturally to us. Infact, we start to associate them with being selfish and of course, want to portray the image of a provider/giver than being a selfish person.

On top of this, we rely overtly on relationships (family) and with time on any relationships, which of course are essential part of life and great to have, but, sadly, we begin to derive our happiness from these relationships! Which means we get extremely upset if something doesn’t go well in a relationship.

This could be a totally different situation for you but the point I’m trying to make is that self-care, self-love, self-focus haven’t been emphasised enough through our lives and they do not become a habit.
What is your favorite time of day?
By: Chase Pettey
Tags: Alone Time, Focus, Productivity, Early Morning, Peace And Quiet

Jan 21st, 2019

Most definitely EARLY mornings. I love the peace and quiet that comes with the mornings. I use a few hours every morning while the sun is still sleeping to brew my fresh coffee, write my writing prompts, do my meditation, listen to my audio books and more. I use this time to fulfill my wants and needs to a happier me. I cherish my mornings so much now that I won’t take on early clients because this is so important to me.

Just now I’m sitting in my dimmed living room, a crackle candle is lit imitating the sound of a fire place, I’m sipping my hot coffee, all while writing this prompt. Life is good and I am grateful. It’s mornings like this that prepare me for some of my most productive and successful work days.

Some of the most successful people wake up at 4 and 5 a.m Oprah Winfrey, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Pepsi CEO, Tony Robbins, and many more. They do this for similar reasons. Some said “I like to enjoy the focus and peace of my morning before I have to log on” I assume by log on they mean interact and be on top of it with the rest of the world. Now let’s be clear I am not comparing myself to some of the most successful in the world, but I am a big believer in taking advice and habits from those individuals if you seek similar success in life.

They have obviously found a ton of value in this time of day and it’s allowed them to continue to enjoy their life and avoid letting the stresses impact them deeply. No matter how successful you are we are all human and the connection and understanding of ones self is the most important. These individuals find success year after year because these quiet mornings allow them to reflect and understand their purpose for the day so they and focus and execute what needs to be done! To me, it’s truly admirable.

So again, mornings are my favorite time of the day and I’ll continue to make them my time!

#WhatsYourChase
Guard Your Attention: We’re Not Hunter-Gatherers Anymore
By: Reagan Pugh
Tags: Self Improvement, Focus, Life Lessons, Productivity, Leadership

My grandmother had piles and piles of magazines around her house she planned to read one day. Knee high sky scrapers representing an ambitious plan to digest all the things one might need to understand.

Almost everyone I know has at least 10 tabs open in their internet browser at all times. Mostly articles and posts about time management or personal development they intend to peruse…if only they could learn how to mange their time.

There’s a lot coming at us. If we’re not careful we begin to believe it’s our responsibility to catch all the content coming our way. There is so much to read and absorb and implement that one could make a full time job out of simply paying attention.

This borderline obsession with gathering resources is often rooted in a desire to grow and learn — which is a good thing — but if we’re not mindful, we soon find ourselves up to our necks in seemingly innocent blog posts and master classes and before we know it we’re:

Confusing activity with forward progress

Mistaking being occupied with developing oneself

Speeding past seeing what we need to see on to taking more than we need to take

Thinking busyness and productivity are the same things

Not minding the fine line between being observant and being obsessive

Believing the next article will finally give us the clarity we need to be fulfilled

Failing to recognize that information in does not magically allow us to make quality contributions

Waiting to act because we haven’t gathered the right facts or encountered the right wisdom just yet

Many of us say we merely skim the content that interests us and hardly read a fraction of the emails and notifications we receive. But all this content is more insidious than we want to believe. It stays with us, lodged in our subconscious like ticks on a hound dog. As we navigate our days the more we ingest, the fuzzier our priorities become. All this information is zapping our energy to focus on what matters and costing our brains valuable decision making steam.

We are not hunter-gatherers anymore. Our survival is not dependent upon our ability to discover the next great deal or stay up to date on people’s lives. For us to flourish and thrive we must gain clarity on what is most important to us, protect our attention for those things and people that matter most, and be vigilant about the finite resource of focus.

We’re not adding value when we pay attention, we’re adding value when we guard it. The measure of one’s day is no longer how much they can discover and accumulate, but how much they can recover and invest.

Reading, learning, and digesting new information is great for growth. But real growth and transformation — the things we all really want — come when when we’re quiet, when we let those seeds we’ve planted germinate, and when we trust ourselves to take what we’ve learned and make it the rest of the way on our own.
On Focus
By: Akhileshwar Kandi
Tags: Truth, Focus, Success, Mastery, Life

Focus is considered to be a superpower.

A superpower capable of achieving anything.

You want to make money ?

Focus on it.

You want to get to that university ?

Focus on it.

You want to have that physique ?

Focus on it.

Focus on it is the WAY to get to anything.

Let’s talk about the reality now.

Bar a very few there seem to be many people who don’t have the laser like focus it takes to achieve something.

A simple way to verify the above statement is to check how many of them around us have achieved what they wanted to .

How many ?

You can count them on your fingers.

Why is the success rate so low ?

What is so elusive about focus that only a few people have it ?

Why can’t all of us focus all the time ?

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You see the truth is focus isn’t the WAY to get anything.

Instead Focus is a natural byproduct of the desire to have a thing.

It is the effect of loving a thing so deeply that you can’t help but drown yourself into it completely.

-

The whole of humanity is putting the cart before the horse.

Be Focused.

Be Sincere.

Be hard working.

Be Kind.

Be helpful.

Be right.

Be this.

Be that.

Would take you nowhere.

Since they aren’t the causes,

As they are the natural effects of having an otherworldly desire/love for a particular thing.

-

The Buddha was all of the above things.

Not because he worked hard to achieve all the above.

But because of the sincere desire to know the TRUTH about getting rid of all the suffering.

To a man with no desire, sitting under the Bodhi tree with nothing but air to eat would feel like Hell.

But for a man with the DESIRE, not sitting under the Bodhi tree would be Hell.

That my friend is the difference.

-

If you still don’t get it -

Know this.

Be this and that are all CHASES.

Employed by your mind,

To keep you where you are.

You are on a treadmill enjoying the illusion of progress.

-

Yes, you heard that right -

You will be where you are for the REST of your life,

Unless,

You get off this treadmill called the MIND.

Arigato.
Staying Focused in Times of Corona COVID-19
By: Marvin Allen
Tags: Corona, Covid, Mental Strengt, Focus

We have never faced anything like this in modern history. We, as a society. We, as a community.

And while many of us have not yet managed to grasp the severity of the situation we are facing, others are preparing. Let’s all be prepared! Mentally and physically.

Because the truth is: nobody knows exactly what’s coming; and that’s the scariest part. Today I simply wanted to take the time to highlight what I think will be most important in the weeks and months to come.

1. Don’t panic

First things first, panic is a natural human impulse. It acts as a protective mechanism among herds and other groups of animals. We as humans, however, possess something no other species does: rational thought.

And rational thought tells us that panic won’t do anything to alleviate this situation.

Now fair enough, that is easier said than done. But let me lay out a few other steps that may make it easier to have rationality prevail over fear.

2. Accept that your life is going to change

Daily life as you have been living it for the past years and decades will change drastically in the coming months. It is vital that you understand this now in order to take the appropriate measures early and be prepared.

Accepting and preparing will be the two most important things you can do now to prevent panic from taking over later.

3. Develop mental strength

One of the most important skills to have in times of isolation and uncertainty is mental strength and a clear vision of who you are as a person and what you stand for. Developing mental strength is like building a muscle; the more you do it, the easier and more enjoyable it becomes.

This includes building new habits, routines, social contacts. Perhaps rethinking your goals. Unfortunately, this does not develop overnight so the earlier you start the better.

4. Take decisive action

Some things cannot be planned out or are too important not to be done immediately. Take any action that YOU think might set you up well for the coming time NOW. Don’t wait until the last moment. Not only will this give you peace of mind, but it will also free up mind-space formerly occupied by worrying.

Those are the things I am thinking about right now. Maybe you can find some inspiration in them as well!

NOTE: This is not intended as a lecture on things to do or ways to behave. I am simply concerned by the lack of concern I see all around me. Better be over-prepared than not at all.
The magic circle for doing things
By: Flavio Geraldes
Tags: Focus, Success, Goals, Objectives, Framework

So, when trying to achieve something, the goal is to focus. Focus on the goal, not on the road. Because, just like the Chesire Cat said to Alice: “If you don’t know where you want to go, then it doesn’t matter which path you take”¹

Magic Circle for doing things

And to help, this little circle can be used. Just like in a dart board the bullseye is in the center, we also want to hit the center of the circle. But we have to take it step by step.

One of the key points of this process is that it has to be iterative. You always have to review your answers, it’s always possible to go back.

Start from the outer rim. Answer the questions. Answer the questions again. Go the the next level. Repeat.

So, what are the questions?

Why? Explain the value of what you want to do. What is the reason for it to be important? What problem is it going to solve? It must be something you are passionate about. Something you strongly believe in. If there’s no value in it for you, maybe you can already drop the idea (or accept that you’ll do it just for the sake of doing it)

What? Describe, in a short sentence, what you want to achieve. What is going to solve the problem you have previously described? The shorter, clearer, more objective, the best. Something that is very important to be careful with is not to answer the “how” at this point. For example, if you want to go to the beach, you want to go to the beach. You don’t want to drive, by car, to the beach. The focus here is the beach, not the car.

Who/For Whom? Who will be involved or who are you doing it for. Or who will benefit from the execution of the activities. Think users, or customers.

Once you have the first answer to these questions, circle again. Maybe the “who” will influence the “what”. Maybe the “why” will make you re-think whom to involve. In general, it’s not possible to have a definitive answer to any of these questions without taking the others in consideration. So, go in circles until you’re happy.

At some point you’ll have your answers fixed. It’s now time for the

How? Here is where the work starts. What steps are required to achieve the “what” in a way that “who” can get the “why” that was intended? Think on execution. Make a plan. Think about the location and the timing. Check if it all makes sense, check if it’s feasible. And do it. Put the pedal to the metal. Keep adjusting. If at some point you need to change your plan, change it, but never, ever, forget the answers you started from.

When going through this process what is happening is that boundaries are being created. Constrains that will keep you on the right path to execute the goal you have proposed. You must respect the constrains, they are there to make you keep focus, and to be successful.

If you end up not having an answer to one of the questions, maybe it’s something not worth pursuing. If you ignore the boundaries you have set up for yourself, just like Alice, you’ll go on a driftless road that will, for sure, take you somewhere. But probably not where you intended.
Better Engagement & Focus for Kids
By: Martial Arts Advantage
Tags: Family, Focus, Martial Arts, Parenting, Children

Being engaged and focused can be tough for everyone from kids to adults. 😅 It gets easier if what you’re focusing on aligns with your interests.

That’s our Advantage when it comes to kiddos… they LOVE the active drills, games, and martial arts we do on the mat. PLUS, we practice consistently how to apply this focus and high level engagement to all their daily activities from home to school.

First, what is Focus? Simply put, it’s concentrating on ONE thing. There’s this myth of multitasking where people believe they can do two things at once at the same quality level and that’s just not true. If you’re working on two tasks, your brain will literally oscillate between the two. You’ll stop focus on one, switch to the other, reset your thinking, then continue. The whole stopping to reset is where multitasking becomes a myth.

Imagine your kiddos trying to watch a show on tv or their tablet while you’re speaking with them. They may even tell you, “Yeah, I’m listening…” But, you know that they’re not giving you their full attention and without a doubt miss key components to an important conversation.

We speak about and practice how to keep your eyes on whoever is speaking to you so you can learn the information better AND faster. It’s interesting to then see them get wide eyed and 100% focused on you as you tell them that. 😅

Then, the students name who they practice focus with and name their parents to their teachers. Finally, of course, we actively practice focus on the mat and in our drills. And because they have so much fun on the mat and doing all the active martial arts drills they’re happy to be focused and engaged.

When their interest aligns we’re creating intentional practice for students to focus, remain focused, and be rewarded for their focus. When you get rewarded via the task at hand and for doing the right thing, you just want to do more of that…all the time!

And, that’s just focus! 🙌🏼 The best part is when all these ideas come together and set your child up for success in all they do. ✌🏼

#takeADVANTAGE

Want to learn more and try classes out? Visit martialartsadvantage.com
How you break distraction ? Read these 3 books to regain your focus
By: Modern Digital Woman
Tags: Business, Focus, Mindfulness, Books, Entrpreneurship

It’s only by saying no you can concentrate on the things that are really important. Steve Jobs

When I read Steve Jobs quote about focus the first time it stayed in my mind and made me to think how our life can be if we can actually focus on what really matters to us? and leave the other crap behind . Think about this for a moment. How many times in the day do you get interrupted by things that are not really important?

1, 2, 3 times? How many? well this is why sometimes we can not get in to the really important things that can make the most impact in our life .We fail to focus. In the age of distraction if you want to accomplish your goals, be more productive, and feel more happy .Here are 3 books that can help you to regain your focus

The One Thing The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Peller and Jay Papasan

Gary Peller does a great job to explain how doing the one thing is the secret of success. Why some people seem to accomplish more than other people when we all have 24 hours ? Because we get distracted . Distraction is everywhere in your house and at your work everyday. All people who have accomplished amazing success in life know the power of focus .These people perfected their skills and businesses by never giving up and focusing on their success. That made them masters of their art.

Focus

The Hidden Drive For Excellence

by Daniel Goleman

We all have a hard time to focus these days. In the Focus The Hidden Drive For Excellence Author Daniel Goleman has three main categories you should pay attention to “inner, other and outer.” Each one is crucial for maintaining balance and becoming a highly productive individual. Keeping your focus open and keeping your thoughts from drifting also plays an important role. But instead of drifting towards something lost, it is always possible to move towards things that are valuable and from there comes great insights.In other words you should keep focus on the things that help you to accomplish more.

The Focus Effect by

Greg Wells and Bruce Bowser

The Focus Effect is a book that telsl you if you want to have high performance you have to find the balance you need to adopt new practices like being mindfulness and meditate. It is not a secret Pro athletes, celebrities, Fortune 100 CEOs and Silicon Valley billionaires have adopted meditation and mindfulness .It is one of the most effective tools for health and personal performance. We have to find the balance that can help us to refocus our attention in a way that can make our life better.

My take on this :

Find something you are passionate about and give your purpose. keep focus on things that bring you more joy and help to achieve more. use tools like meditation to help to regain your focus and have more balance in your life.

Check for more resources an entrepreneurship

moderndigitalwoman.com
Where Will You Place Your Focus?
By: Crystal Storms
Tags: Christianity, Focus, Christian Living, Faith, Christian

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2, NIV)

Every day we face the choice of where to place our focus. In the front of our house we have three rose bushes-a fragrant red one, a pale pink one, and a dark pink one framed in white.

At the base of the roses, we covered the area with netting and decorative shells. But weeds still find a way to push through the netting, and the the most stubborn ones even poke holes through the shells.

Every morning when I walk by the rose bed, I’m faced with a choice. I can focus on those stubborn weeds, counting the days until I can get out there to pull them. Or I can focus on the roses. Scanning the bushes for new growth. Counting the buds and checking their progress, in anticipation of fresh blooms.

I can pause to admire the beauty or I can add one more thing to my list of what I need to do.

When I focus on what’s wrong in my life, my problems multiply like the weeds in my garden. But when I focus on who God is in my life, He is magnified.

And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. ( 2 Peter 1:4, NLT)

There’s a promise in God’s Word to match every problem in this world. We can focus on our problems, or we can focus on the promises of God.

Where will you place your focus?

We can focus on our problems, or we can focus on the promises of God.

We can fix our eyes on what’s going wrong and magnify the problems in our lives. Or we can fix our eyes on Jesus and magnify Him in our lives. On the cross Jesus made the choice to focus on us. Let’s make the choice to focus on Him.

Reminder for the heart: We can focus on our problems, or we can focus on the promises of God.

Related resources to encourage your heart: How to Be a Faithful Steward of Your Talents and How to Race to the End

What’s on your heart? What helps you focus on Jesus and keep your eyes on Him?

Sweet blessings,

Crystal