Photo by striatic
A few weeks ago I knew nothing about blogging, Wordpress, web hosting, or how to get my blog “out there” for others to see. I had this murky, “kinda sorta,” goal of making something I could be proud of, but I had yet to take any action steps to actually make it happen. I’d dream, tinker around with a few things, but just didn’t have the motivation to make it all happen. I was not acting on on of my big goals for 2009…write more.
I knew, from talking with others, that there was a lot of prep work to do in order to create this site. I had to pick a domain name, (probably the hardest step…no really,) learn how to use Wordpress, generate ideas for blogging, and learn some basic programming skills. Taken as a whole, it was a very daunting task. So my idea, my dream, just sat.
What I failed to do was focus my thinking.
One of my favorite authors uses an example of how much energy the sun has. The sun generates billions of kilowatts of power everyday to the entire planet. We can walk around for hours and not feel the ill effects of it.
A laser is a different story. Compared to the sun, a laser has a small amount of energy. However, a laser can can cut through the toughest substances on Earth or perform the most delicate surgery to save lives. The laser is a great example of how focused energy can accomplish great things.
Where to Focus Your Thinking
Before you can focus your thinking, you first need to identify what you should focus on. This basic, fundamental step, will start to create a roadmap of where you want to be and provide inspiration to move forward. Without this step, you may focus on accomplishing a specific task or project, but are you working towards something greater you want to accomplish?
Below are a few areas to generate ideas for focused thinking:
Priorities: Where are your priorities today? Don’t focus on what has to be done at work or around the house. Instead, focus on the things that are important to you in life at this moment. These shouldn’t necessarily be destinations or the end result, just a general state you are working towards. My current areas of focus are: Leadership, Writing, Simplicity, and Money Management.
Strengths: From an early age, we are taught to focus on our weaknesses. For me, this has always been my penmanship. I have bad writing…period. No one can read my signature, cursive is completely foreign to me, and writing legibly so someone can read it causes me great stress. My teacher’s always focused on trying to help me become a better writer, even at the cost of science of math (my 2 strong subjects.) I’d spend hours of time practicing to become better which increased my frustration as I didn’t improve. To this day I write pretty much the same as I did in 6th grade. No, I am not blaming my teachers for what could have been a Nobel Prize winning career as a chemist. We are all taught to focus on weaknesses at an early age so we become a more “well rounded” person. Try to make a list of 3-5 strengths, things you are REALLY good at. Look at the list and ask yourself: “how can I become even better, using this strength I already possess.” You’re much more likely to generate good thoughts and take action on something you are already good at, rather than trying to act on something where the mere thought of working on it makes you cringe.
Reward: Of all the things going on in your life right now, what will have the greatest reward if you focused on it? It could be a monetary gain, increased time with family, or something that would make you happy. Life is about rewards…thinking is about the actions you need to take in order to cash in on those rewards.
Dreams: What are your dreams? Is it a European vacation, quitting your job and working from home, or perhaps little more modest such as landscaping your back yard to create an escape. We all have dreams that we want to accomplish. Ask yourself what yours are. Make a list of the next 3-5 actions you have to take in order to get closer to this dream.
By utilizing laser sharp focus, you will be amazed at how many thoughts and ideas you can generate. Focused thinking forces you to be selective in what you will work on and will allow your mind to put other things on the “back-burner” until you are ready to act on them.
What will you be focusing your thinking on?
