4 Simple actions to stay focused on your goals

Why it matters

There is a natural tension in life between things we want to do and things we need to do. Some may call it initiative for those who do what needs to be done or laziness for those who put off today what they think they can do tomorrow. When it comes to goal setting, there is one thing that keeps high achievers moving forward and reaching their goals- FOCUS. 

What makes focus a key to reaching your goals?

Focus allows one to work through or remove the distractions of life and business. Leading a sales team, I would routinely encourage the team to stay focused on their goals. This is how they put food on the table for their families. We had many distractions, some internal, others external. If caught up in them, two or more common things are guaranteed to happen.

1. You will waste limited resources including your time and the time of others.
2. Opportunities will pass by, many you never see as you are too busy being distracted.
3. You become so distracted and lose focus, you stop pursuing your goals altogether.

It’s fine to say, “no” to many good things, so we can say, “yes” to those things which move us forward. Focus, aligned with our goals is an invaluable tool. Think about race horses. Blinders are used to keep them focused when running around the oval track.

Blinders are a tool of the trade, small squares of firm leather that focus the horses line of sight on what is in front of them. It’s eliminates the distractions that come from peripheral vision, which is good for not only the horse, but also the jockey and the horses owner when on a race track.

There is great power that comes with focus. In terms of setting and reaching your goals, having focus sets you up for the win, just as in horse racing. Are you ready to put on your blinders and focus on what matters?

Why is goal setting important?  

Setting goals gives you long term vision and short term motivation. It connects your daily decisions and behaviors to a longer term objective and measurable results. Having a goal provides motivation and reason to work through the difficult seasons of life. There is no question of IF the difficult season is coming, rather the question is WHEN and for how long it will last.

Not into goal setting? Think of it as having a dream. Not just any dream, one that is so big it requires you to change who you are to achieve it. A dream that propels you to take action, to learn new skills, to get out of your comfort zone and take risk.

Regardless of vocation or profession, there are daily distractions that come from within the environments we work. It may be those we are providing services to, those channels we sell through, those we work with, and oh yeah, the lives we live at and away from work.

Another important aspect of remaining focused is who you associate with. As the old proverb goes, “Birds of a feather, flock together”. Or as Jim Rohn says, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. Who are your 5? There are individuals who will encourage you along your path as well as those who do the opposite. Choose wisely.

Be mindful of those in your “flock” who become distractors or dream killers. These are the ones telling you every reason why you should not have that goal or why you can not achieve that goal. They push you further away from your goals and matters of purpose. Typically, individuals of this character prefer you focused on their objectives and purpose, and have no real interest in you as a person. Be mindful of who you surround yourself with, this is another habit of highly successful individuals.

Being focused with our goals requires effort and intentionality. Find that inner motive to make goal setting personal and get focused on moving forward and reaching your goals.

Take these four action steps to have daily focus and achieve your goals.

1. Establish your daily disciplines, one of which should be to set a list of what you will accomplish each day prior to the start of that day. This will also tie-in to your overall goals, S.M.A.R.T. goals and or business plan.
2. Focus on your systems (process & behaviors) and not the prize (goal/reward). When the goal is to reduce personal debt, focus on your personal spending behaviors, not being debt free. Are you looking to lose weight? Focus on your patterns of nutrition and exercise, not the scale. Want to become that top achiever? Focus on your daily actions, patterns and systems, not the reward. Does a championship team focus on winning the championship preseason or during the season? No, that may be their goal. Their focus is on the training, playbook, practice plans and drills that result in winning.
3. Renew your mind and body each day. A good way is to spend a few minutes in daily reflection and thought. We all get out-of- balance at times, taking this time helps us to remain centered. To keep the main thing, the main thing.
4. Get in the proper exercise and rest. Establishing these two disciplines will refresh you and promotes brain health as well. To often in the pursuit of our goals we neglect the physical. Don’t lose your health while pursing your goals. Creating margin in life today, will maximize your impact tomorrow.

Staying focused is key to reaching your goals and maximizing your impact. Just as with a jockey and a race horse, having the right tools allows you better focus on each step to that finish line. And yes, there are many steps in a horse race, the same is true in setting and reaching goals. Having clear goals that you work towards each day allows one to stay focused.

Have a best practice for staying focused you’d like to share with others? Leave a comment below, we’re better together!

You can also find daily post on twitter @michaelAgreer_ where I share additional thoughts on how to live a life of lasting impact and fewer regrets.