ARE WE FOOLING OURSELVES WHEN IT COMES TO FOCUS?
Can you relate to this? Talking about where we need to focus, what’s most important, and how we need to prioritize our daily activities? Talking about this a lot, then suddenly realizing that we’re not actually putting what we say into practice consistently.?
I recently caught myself doing this. I was always talking about the good things I needed to focus on, follow-up on and follow-through with, but, I wasn’t applying these to my own life. Not because I couldn’t. Not because I didn’t have the tools, like Optevo that make it easier. “So why?” I had to ask myself, “Why is it that I say these things, (which I wholeheartedly believe) yet don’t apply them consistently?”? As soon as I asked this, the answer became quite obvious.
Even though I know what I want to do, and what’s important to me - even though I have what I need to make it possible - I feel guilty taking the time. There are so many distractions. So many things that ‘have’ to be done. So many things we think are important, right now. All of which push what we really need, and want to do, out of our daily lives.
As leaders, we’re always talking about the importance of focus . We discuss how to prioritize important things. Things that will move us, our goals, the business outcomes we want, forward. Yet, all these good things seem to push the ‘best’ things further away, making them less and less attainable.?
We feel irresponsible when we ‘selfishly’ focus on the things that will keep us healthy and prevent burnout because we’re taking time away from ‘urgent’ things. In reality, taking time to live a life with room for the people, relationships and personal things that make life a rich, fulfilling and beautiful experience, is far more important than most of the other things we consider important on a daily basis.
This realization first came home to me when I was sick. You might remember me writing about this previously .
This was a wake-up call . The trouble with wake-up calls is that the impact stays with us, but the follow-up and follow-through tends to diminish over time as our focus shifts. Like I said, we get distracted. Technically, we are simultaneously present in the moment, yet somehow not present in the timeline of our reality. In other words, our focus is present on the urgent, but not present when it comes to our wellbeing.?
I still feel that impact of that wake-up call, and I know that David McCay, my mentor and co-founder is also still impacted by the discussions we had at the time.?
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Discussions resulting in the vision embodied today in Optevo . At that time, I couldn’t work. All I could do was focus on the vision and how it could become a reality.? I’d spend my days on follow-up, and follow-through, to bring it into being.?
I believed that my incapacitation had been brought on by neglecting focus, follow-up and follow-through on the truly important areas of my life. But, as with many challenges, there was an upside. An overwhelming desire to help others. I wanted to do something to help people avoid going through the tunnel I was going through. A tunnel where I was so focused on work that I literally worked myself into a life-threatening situation. I understood, for the first time, that I didn’t want to reach the end of my life and wonder what on earth happened to my time, then have regrets on how I’d spent it. I wanted to do something to stop others from reaching that point.
Somehow, it seems, we just don’t miss the truly important things while we’re distracted by all the ‘urgent’ things that happily collude to fritter away our most precious and unrenewable resource called time. We just don’t realize how little of it we may have and how vital it is to spend it wisely.?
I’ve come to the conclusion that most of us have some growing to do. We have to shed lingering baggage we’ve acquired that makes us place ourselves last in the line-up for attention. I’ll have more to say on this in the future, but for now I’d like to ask you: Where is your focus? Will you be happy with how you’ve spent your time when you have no more time left??
I believe this could be one of the most important questions you’ll ever ask… let me know if you agree.
#Focus #FollowThrough
The Myth Slayer?? Transformational Coach for Attorneys ?? 2x TEDx Speaker ?? Ignite Rebirth, Inspiration, & Impact ?? I Want Your Future to Be EPIC!
1 年Andre Williams: as you can imagine, this TRULY spoke to me and parts of it, I felt like I could've written myself (albeit not in your eloquent and with such a direct and clear voice). Suffice it to say, I had to go through something awful for the words you said here to really ring true, and not just be words. But I genuinely understand them now, and you are absolutely right. What a beautifully put portion of the article: "I’ve come to the conclusion that most of us have some growing to do. We have to shed lingering baggage we’ve acquired that makes us place ourselves last in the line-up for attention. I’ll have more to say on this in the future, but for now I’d like to ask you: Where is your focus? Will you be happy with how you’ve spent your time when you have no more time left??" I certainly did, and do, still. But it's better to know that now than when there is no time to change. Thank you for a very affecting piece of writing.
Growing Authenticity, Careers, Impact, and Freedom ?? Executive Coach ?? Team Performance Training ?? Ex Apple
1 年I started a daily planning journal a few months ago, and each day I answered the question "what will make today great?". I loved that part of the daily process. It took only a moment, but thinking about that question was powerful. Sometimes it's a work deliverable, sometimes it's exercise, sometimes it's time with family. The answer can change, but asking & answering that question daily was powerful. I say "was" powerful because I've slipped out of the habit of the journal. Your post is a reminder to get back into it Andre.
Chief Experience Officer at billquiseng.com. Award-winning Customer CARE Expert, Keynote Speaker, and Blogger
1 年Andre, I emoji ?? your post to express my appreciation and kudos to you for sharing, especially your insight that "?taking time to live a life with room for the people, relationships and personal things that make life a rich, fulfilling and beautiful experience, is far more important than most of the other things". Now, a wheelchair-bound unemployed senior citizen, I did not focus on what would have enriched my life when I am no longer living much longer. I would urge you and younger people ?? that whatever your focus is on your tasks today, it would not add real value to your overall life experience. And that life experience would not only include your personal emotional enrichment, but ideally, also the enrichment of others through personal interactions and relationships. For my hospitality associates, as they prepared to engage and WOW their guests, I briefed them in our daily standups that GREAT service is GREAT theater. Whether we were happy to serve our guests or act to be happy, didn't matter. All that mattered is if our guests felt we were happy to serve them. At the end of every stand up, I'd remind them, "Don't be just good. Be GREAT out there!" But wait. There's more. Page 2 of 2. Be a servant leader who CARES.
5x Leadership Author | CEO of The Leadership Academy | Speaker ?? ?? Follow for daily posts on Mindset, Personal Growth, and How to Create Leaders at All Levels
1 年I agree. If we are not taking care of ourselves how are we going to take care of others? I am fortunate that I have a support group. One of the key foundations of the support group is to take care of ourselves and at the same time allow other people to take care of themselves. Instead of giving advice, we model the behavior. This is a difficult approach for someone like me who has always been trying to help others and not doing the things that I have prescribed. By looking at my life and seeing where I wasn’t walking my talk,I have also learned that I was taking on others responsibilities and tasks. When I began focusing on my priorities – – the things that were important and aligned to what I wanted – – my to do list was cut in half. And the people I worked with appreciated that they could do their jobs. This has freed up a tremendous amount of time and energy to focus on what’s important not what’s urgent and not what’s on important. I don’t practice this perfectly, which is part of letting some things go. As usual, Andre Williams, you have created another great post.
Enthusiasm Ignitor??Self-Doubt Eraser??Confidence & Cognitive Behavior Coach & Consultant??-International Speaker??- Writer ?? With Emphasis in Empowerment & Leadership??
1 年Having a constant morning and evening routine and structure around my projects keeps me truly focused without burnout.