Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Power of Concentration
- Do you ever get distracted?
- Do you ever mean to do one thing and then find yourself doing another?
- Do you ever lack concentration?
If you can say no to any of the above - CONGRATULATIONS! You are fairly unique.
There are not many people out there who are truly able to fully concentrate for any length of time. Research shows it is only between 1-3 % of the population. Could that be the 1-3 % of the population who truly make it in life?
Would you agree that it would be of the greatest value if we learned how to concentrate? The amount of focus you have on your important tasks determine your success. To make a true success of anything you must be able to concentrate your entire thought upon the idea you are working on. The person that is able to concentrate utilizes all constructive thoughts and shuts out all destructive ones. The greatest man would accomplish nothing if he lacked concentration and got distracted from his main objectives.
Yet we all know that in order to accomplish a certain task we must concentrate on it. So it is of the utmost value to learn how to concentrate especially when working on a new idea or a new business. As soon as we are laser focused we will move forward but if we are wishy washy and half hearted nothing will happen except frustration because so much valuable time has passed without seeing results.
Let me repeat: To make a success of anything you must be able to concentrate your entire thought upon the idea you are working out. Do not become discouraged, if you are unable to hold your thought on the subject very long at first. There are very few that can. It seems a peculiar fact that it is easier to concentrate on something that is no good for us, than on something that is beneficial.
This tendency is overcome when we learn to concentrate consciously. If you will just practice a few concentration exercises each day you will soon develop this wonderful power. Success is assured when you are able to concentrate for you are then able to utilize for your good all constructive thoughts and shut out all the destructive ones.
Have you ever made a decision to do something - could be in your work, hobby or family life and then set out to do it with the unwavering belief that it will happen? You probably have but in case you do not remember let me give you an example. When I started the Achievers Toastmasters Club I was laser focused because I really wanted a Club that stood for all the positive things Toastmasters offers. The first Club I had belonged to had turned bitchy and unpleasant and I did not want to be part of it anymore.
After making the decision to start a new Club I did not take No for an answer anymore. My only thoughts were on how to get the right people to join and I did everything in my power to achieve that. Within 6 weeks we were chartered and should you ever come to the Costa del Sol, you must visit The Achievers TMC because it really stands for the positive, learning environment Toastmasters International propagates. The Club is now more than 7 years old and even though our members change (and I left the country) the vision I had of the Club has not changed and it can be felt at each meeting.
It is of the greatest value to be able to think only that which will be beneficial; that which you really want and not how to avoid what you don't want. Did you ever stop to think what an important part your thoughts, concentrated thoughts, play in your life? We are wonderful creatures, but we must continue to train and develop to reach our goals. Anything can be accomplished by every man if he can be awakened to do his very best.
That is why Anthony Robbins talks about "Awaken the Giant within" but the greatest man would not accomplish much if he lacked concentration and effort. If you study success you will know that people with very bad grades in school have achieved incredible things. You will have read the stories of the timid young man who became a powerful entrepreneur even though outside his field he is still shy. Dwarfs can do the work of giants when they are transformed by the magic power of great mental concentration. But even giants could only do the work of dwarfs when they lack this power.
We accomplish more by concentration than by knowledge; the man that is apparently best suited for a pposition does not always fill it best. It is the man that concentrates on its every possibility that makes an art of both his work and his life. As in all other good things in life your real advancement will come from your individual effort.
Therefore make a plan each day of the most important tasks that will get you where you want to go - set clear priorites. Make this time a time in which you will not be disturbed by phone calls, meetings, children, spouses or your favorite telenovela. This time is only for you and your goals. Depending on how good your power of concentration already is start with a minimum of 30 minutes and work yourself up bit by bit. Find out what your best time of day is to concentrate.
For me it is first thing in the morning, for one of my best friends it is in the late evening. Use that time to move you forward - towards your dreams and goals.
Today is your day! Use it wisely
Love Barbara
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Labels: beliefs, concentration, focus, goals, plan, success
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Focus on Solutions
I get asked: “How can I be successful?” all the time. One of the first things is to stop wining and complaining and instead search for solutions and take action. On my last flight back to Spain I found a good quote by Edward E. Hearn in my monthly Toastmaster magazine. It describes beautifully what I mean. It says: “Everybody has problems in life. But the real key to life is not crying over your problems. The key to life is overcoming problems, and bouncing back from them!”
It is what I keep telling my assistants. DON’T FOCUS ON THE PROBLEM, FOCUS ON THE SOLUTION!
Let me give you a few typical examples from my travels in Ukraine. The last time I was there I needed to change my international flight and once that was changed I needed a flight from South Ukraine to Kiev to catch my new international flight. 2 Assistants were supposed to take care of that and let me know in the morning what time I was leaving. At 08.30 am I was packed and ready to leave. 9.30 came and still no flight confirmations. I called my assistant. She said they were working on it and that she will call me as soon as she knows the details.
By now I knew I could not catch the morning flight anymore so I relaxed and started to work on a couple of articles but when it turned 11.00 and I still had no news I called her again. She said it is impossible to change my flight so they are trying to buy a new one but the price was over 1200 Euros for the one way and they could not buy the ticket because they did not have sufficient funds. “Why didn’t you call me?” I asked. “I did not want you to think I can’t do this”, was the answer. “There is nothing wrong with not being able to do something. But there is everything wrong with not admitting to it and therefore not getting things done”, I said. “Time is getting precious as I need to be in Kiev by the evening.”
It was 3 hours from my house to the local airport and still no solution in sight. I asked my assistant to come to where I was staying and that we would find a solution together. Meanwhile I looked for a number for the Alitalia office in Kiev. Unfortunately their website was down so I searched for any Alitalia office anywhere and I found a number in Rome. By this time my assistant had arrived. She told me she had called Kiev airport but there was no Alitalia office there (which turned out not to be true) She also said she had spoken to Alitalia in Italy and they had told her my Internet ticket could not be changed. I could not believe that and called the number I had found from Rome. They passed me on to Alitalia reservations department who changed my Internet ticket within minutes. All I had to do is pay 50 Euros penalty. My assistant watched me with amazement. She could not believe that I had solved the issue within minutes that she and another girl were not able to find a solution for all morning.
But that’s not the end of the story. Now we needed the flight ticket from Sevastopol to Kiev for the afternoon. My assistant called the companies travel department and asked them to buy the ticket for me. As I still needed to speak with the TV producer we went to the office and once there wanted to pick up my ticket. But nothing had happened yet. They did not know how to pay it and again they did not call me. I told them to go to the accounts department and get the funds there. The girl went and I really thought that now all was in order but when it was time to leave, my limousine was there but no ticket. The girl was not back. When I called her she said accounts did not understand what she wanted and refused her the funds. One phone call later she had the money and we went to meet her downtown at the airline office to pick up the ticket. Again, the situation was solved once we focused on a solution and did not concentrate on the problem.
In many lives that seems to be the challenge. Most people concentrate on the problem and not on a solution. They look at the process and not beyond but if you stare at the obstacle instead of the overall objective, you cannot find ways to overcome obstacles and get stuck in the process.
Insights:
Always look at the big picture. Always keep the end result in mind so short term obstacles are nothing more than hurdles you need to take to get to the finishing line. For everything there is a solution. It might not be ideal and it might not be the direct line to the mark but as long as it moves you in the right direction it is much better than wining, complaining and hoping without taking action.
Labels: big picture, challenge, find solutions, focus, overcome obstacles, problem, solution
