Focus Power, Part One480 F 288913742 nF8viDv37zUhJQnTOdHyqp5rCaDh0mCd

What makes you perform at your peak? What makes you happiest? When do you do your best?

“Happiness is power, and power is being able to do what one is doing when one is doing it.” — L. Ron Hubbard

When you do what you are doing when you are doing it, you are focused. Your attention is in present time. You are aware of yourself and everything around you. Your mind is “in the game.”

When you are not focused, daydreams and distractions ruin your job performance. You go on automatic and make mistakes. Because you are not giving your best, you produce less.

Most people do not focus very well. For example, when they drive cars, they think about other things. They do not see potential problems up ahead. Their reaction times are slower. According to police, inattention is the primary cause of auto accidents.

The ability to devote 100% of your attention to a task is difficult, at first. But if you work on it, and improve your focus, your performance quickly improves.

Best of all, when you start to live your life in the present, with little or no attention on the past or future, you feel more alive. You have more power and you are happier.

Demonstration

To show you how this works, concentrate on the period at the end of this sentence and nothing else for five seconds.

Can you do it for five seconds? Fifteen? Can you do it with absolutely no other thoughts? Imagine being able to focus all of your attention on everything you do as you do it. This is power!

The new TipsForSuccess Focus Workbook includes dozens of exercises you can use to boost your focus.

Why Does this Work?

Staying in present time unleashes extra amounts of natural ability. For example, as you prepare to leave on a vacation, you zero in on specific tasks and quickly get them done. On the other hand, when you only daydream about a vacation, you slow down and become less effective.

As another example, you handle conversations much better if you stay in the present. People feel you understand them when you are doing nothing but listening to them. You are not thinking about other people, preparing your responses, worrying about the other person’s opinions of you or anything else. You are focused.

The sharper your focus, the greater your power. Even more amazing is that you are also happier.

Five Tips for Your Success

While the TipsForSuccess Focus Workbook gives you dozens of ways to improve your focus, these five tips can get you started right now.

1. Do a simple task at your desk such as clear off some paper or write a note. Do this right now. Do absolutely nothing else when doing it. Practice this until your attention is more in the present than ever before.

2. The next time you are talking to someone, give him or her 100% of your attention. Think of nothing outside of the conversation. Notice the person’s reaction.

3. The next time you drive your car, do what you are doing when you are doing it. Don’t listen to the radio, talk on your phone, eat a snack, think about work or do anything besides drive. Extend your focus all around your car. Notice the difference.

4. Next time you kiss or hug someone, think of nothing else besides giving the kiss or hug. Really do what you are doing and give the person 100% affection. Try this with your spouse to see a great reaction.

5. At your job, spend a complete hour doing absolutely nothing but work. Do exactly what you are doing when you are doing it. Ignore other thoughts, other acts and other tasks. Take no breaks. Do nothing but work.

When you are focused on present time, your “head is in the game,” you “seize the day” and are “in the zone.”

Read “Focus Power, Part Two.”

New Focus Power Workbook

If you are a TipsForSuccess Subscriber, you can now download our new 30-page PDF workbook to help you master your focusing skills. As with everything at TipsForSuccess, this workbook is free to subscribers.

The workbook includes dozens of activities. Just pick out and try the ones that look interesting or helpful to you. Examples:

  1. Self Assessment Focus Test
  2. Focus Exercises
  3. Focus Action Steps
  4. Focus Journal
  5. The 15-Day Focus Challenge and more

Go to the Subscriber Home Page to get your copy of the Focus Power Workbook.