Focus

I’ve always been fascinated by fire.?My sister and I would light fires and cook beans outside the shed.?I lit a fire in a ceramic dish on my bedroom windowsill: my dad came up to investigate the fireball he saw falling past the sitting room after I pushed it off!

But the most amazing thing was focussing the sun’s rays through a magnifying glass to start a fire.

It’s amazing what we can do when we focus.

I'm looking after my 89 year old mum in her final years, which takes an increasing amount of time.?So my business plan for this year is summarised: “See my mum through to end of life, and still have a business.”

As “seeing my mum through” takes more time, there will be less left for my business.?So I’ve had to focus, and my business plan highlights the essentials I need to do to survive.?It’s amazing how little it is, compared to how much we often do.?There’s loads of things I “could” do, but very little that I absolutely “have” to do.

My business plan is usually about 2,000 words; this year it’s only 300.

And it hasn’t come out of nowhere: I’ve spent the last 18 months refining and reducing, with a lot of help from a supportive group of colleagues.

So my challenge to you is “What do you have to do, and what are you doing because you can do it?”?Focus your resources on the essential!

Find more on my website:?www.attainmenttraining.co.uk. ?Sign up to?my regular newsletter.