The Keys to Unlocking Success: Part 1 – Focus
Posted by Ben Lumley on Jan 12, 2010 in Goals, Success | 19 comments
photo credit: Dylan Luder
Everyone wants success. Whether it’s in the littlest act or in the big adventures that we can possibly experience in life. From the farmer growing crops during a hard season, to the business person trying to make a million; all of us want to achieve success in what we do and no matter what your success currency is, money, family, fame, survival, or recognition, the end goal is always the same…success. We’re all brought up to strive for bigger and better things, constantly pushed on by others around us, including friends and family.
In this 6 part short series on The Keys to Unlocking Success, I want to cover some of the approaches you can take to bring you more success regardless of what you want to be successful at. I recently wrote an introduction to achieving success here and through this short series I want to go into some depth on the subject of success and how to achieve it.
So every 2 days I’ll talk about a new key to unlocking success and at the end of the series I’ll round everything up and give you all a gift from me to you. so let’s get started.
Part 1: Focus
Without something to focus on you wont be able to achieve great success. Call it a goal, call it a vision of the future, whether big or small; simply focusing on your goal allows you to achieve more. You need to aim for something, whatever you want it to be, otherwise you could end up nowhere, having achieved very little.
Imagine if I met you and I told you we were going to have a race. What would be the sort of questions you’d asked before we started? Why? Where are we racing to? How long are we racing for? What other resources can we use? I really hope you wouldn’t just follow me as I ran off into the distance shouting “don’t worry it’ll be fine, just follow me!”
Whenever I go into schools to talk to young people about success I always start by talking about having a focus, so it seems fitting that we talk about it here. Before you can rush off and start achieving success you first need to have a focus. What is it you want to achieve? Where to do you want to go and how are you going to get there?
1. Decide what your focus will be
Before you can start though, you first need have a really clear idea of what it is you actually want to achieve. Take the time to write it down somewhere; on a piece of paper, in a notebook or on your computer. Make sure though, that you flesh it out a bit and make sure you provide yourself with details because you’re going to use this to refer back to it later to remind yourself of what you wanted to achieve (everyone forgets the details, sometimes.)
2. Break up the task at hand
Once you’ve worked out what it is you want to achieve, you can then start to work towards your success. The best way to do this is to create some checkpoints that can break up your overall goal into smaller bits. By just focussing on the whole when trying to be successful at something, you can sometimes become daunted by the sheer size of what you need to do, if you break it up however, you can work through it one step at a time. This keeps your focus in the present and stops you losing your way.
3. Start today
What can you do today to start achieving what you want to be successful in? There’s always something you can start doing straight away, it’s just that not everyone realises it and those that do, don’t often do something about it. By starting today, you’re instantly focusing your attention on that thing in your life that you want to be successful in, that one thing that you choose in step 1.
So….
If you want to achieve great success in some area of your life, you first need to focus your attention. Like aiming an arrow at a target, you need to make sure you’re lined up straight before you start. When you’ve decided on your focus, break down the task into smaller bite-sized chunks that you can easily achieve before you move on to the next phase. Once you’ve focussed yourself, you can then start to go out and achieve your success but make sure you keep checking back from time to time to make sure you’re still heading in the right direction.
Next time: Being Passionate
Similar Posts:
- The Keys to Unlocking Success: Part 6 Learning from Life
- The Keys to Unlocking Success: Part 4 Being Positive
- The Keys to Unlocking Success: Part 2 – Passion
- The Keys to Unlocking Success: Part 3 Taking Responsibility
- Doing something because you think you should, isn’t the way to go
Ben Lumley writes about Success and Personal Achievement at 6aliens.com. He is a Personal Achievement Coach and Motivational Speaker.
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If you met me and said we were having a race, I wouldn't ask you any questions… I'd be too busy laughing at you. I'd then let you go off on your merry way and tell you I'll meet you at the pub when your done.
On a more serious note, what advice do you have for the majority of us who have absolutely no idea what we want? How do you focus if you don't know what to focus on?
I'd expect a pint at the end then Steve! On you!
It's definitely tough when you don't know what you want. I was there a few years ago, with a list as long as my arm of things I wanted to a bit but not 100% on any of them.
Part 2 is about passion and hopefully it will answer your questions. If it doesn't tell me here and I'll try and help more.
Peace
Or send me a wave
Hi Steve, (Ben excuse me for jumping in here)
I bang on about passion all the time, so I'm not even going to go there, but you are probably one of the ones I respect the most in terms of internet knowledge. I haven't come across someone who knows as much as you with as much experience as you, who can explain it as well as you.
My advice is write about that, make videos on it, do podcasts about it. Of course it's down to you, but I gotta say if you started doing something like this, I would be camped out on your site.
You would be unique too because you're the only person I have come across who doesn't think GA is amazing!
Go for it Steve.
Ben, sorry dude you can have your post back now lol
Race… I'd probably ask whether we went on three or go =P
I think I've a fairly good idea of what I want, and I write it down periodically (my way of keeping it fresh I guess); though it is handy to be reminded now and then. Looking forward to the next installment
Great tips Ben. Focus and knowing what you are aiming for is so important. It's taken me to recently to realise what I want to do, but now that I do I try and remain focused and concentrate on achieving goals in these areas. Looking forward to the rest of the series – a great idea!
Nice advice James
Think Steve would be good at the to be fair
I think we'd go on go heather to be honest.
Yeah visual (written) reminders are a great way to create a focus and maintain it. I've got a section of my moleskine notebook just for my goals for the year.
Where do you write it down?
Hey Jen
Great to see you here again!
You're right – focusing on what you're aiming for is really important.
Focussing on what you want builds on so many of the other keys as well – but you'll have to wait to see what those are later. haha
Hehe, always pays to check that one for some reason
I usually write it in a number of places; first port of call is usually my journal (I go over them each week along with ideas and plans for the next, etc etc), then in my planner, though I think the one place that places the most emphasis on them is actually my desktop.
Each month I write five goals on it for each area of my life (some challenging, some simple, but all achievable by the end of the month) and set it as my background. Its the first thing I see when I turn on my computer, when I'm switching tasks, and the last thing I see before I turn it off for the night. Keeps it visual constantly and, oddly, seems to be making more of a difference than I'd thought it would ^_^
I had a question though; I hear a lot about moleskine notebooks and I've been trying to justify getting one, but I'm still at the stage of debating its value vs something that does a similar job… Would you say its been worth it for you? Curious
Wow – loving the desktop idea. I hear David Turnball (http://www.davidturnbull.com) has a desktop with “I am a writer” on it as a way of motivating him to write great content.
Re: Moleskines. I can do the same thing with my moleskine as I can do with a standard notepad and pen. I only have a plain notebook so I can replicate that anyhow. I got mine from a mate who used to see them and fell in love with how nice it was (professional finish and all that) that I've always used them since.
For me they're a nice little extravagence as I don't spend money on anything else really. I'd say for me, that they are more of a luxury than a necessity.
Oh absolutely. But I'll be disappointed if we stop at one pint.
Looking forward to Part 2!
I think I originally heard of the idea on another blog (we're talking over a year ago, wish I could remember which one so I could link you) and adapted it a little to suit how I set my own goals. Must say, its probably the single-highest motivator I have for actually meeting them (well, aside from talking to people of course =) )
Hmm…. Think I may have to try it next year for myself to see what sort of an impact it'd have on me. They certainly do look professional though, I'll give them that! (and pretty, you know, in a stationery sort of way)
Oh for sure – mines a Red one!
I've used this setup this year in my moleskine – but would work in any notepad
Getting Ready for 2010: My Moleskine Setup
Sweet, I will check it out!
Red is awesome, though I think it'd have to be black for me. That way I can maintain the professional air that people who don't really know me assume I have =P
Hi James!
Thanks for your confidence in me. I do know that one of my strengths is my ability to explain things to people in ways that makes it easier to understand. But I wouldn't say that internet knowledge was one of my areas of expertise. And it certainly isn't something that I'm passionate about.
Thanks, James, I will keep it in mind.
Being focused on what you want is what it takes because without a straight and clear sight of what exactly it is you're going after, well, you're not going to get very far probably.
I think a lot of people have this issues. They say they want success and I believe they really do. They may want fame or the like but aren't sure exactly what it is they're after. They just want what they see others have without a clear idea of what they themselves want to achieve. They really don't want what others have but they think they do. That's because they're focus is off.
Great stuff here. My project coming in February will be focused on helping others reach their goals who start off without truly having an idea of what those goals are. That's all I'm going to say right now.
Good focused article. Looking forward to what's in store next.
Yeah I think this is something we'll see more and more of with more shows like X-Factor and *insert country name* has Got Talent. Young people are only seeing fame and glory as a route to success in life but aren't really sure in version that want or how they're achieve it.
Your project sounds really exciting Eric – can't wait to find out more about it. Let me know when its up and running wont you?
@Heather – Ben's absolutely right ( you should listen to him as he usually is!) you can do no more with a Moleskin than you can with an ordinary notebook. But that's not to say you shouldn't get one. They cost about £10 but do last a while. I've been using one with my current client since last July and I'm only half way through it. The truth is they do look good and don't ask me how but you do seem to do better quality of work in them. I think it's because you spend £10 on it, you don't fill it with rubbish.
If you feel you think better because you have a Moleskin then you will think better.
Good luck.