The Focus Most Get Wrong
Don’t focus on what you want. Concentrate on what you do.
- Learn from the past.
- Glance at the future.
- Concentrate on present action.
Long-term goals are good for direction, not daily practices.
The Stairs
I decided to increase my physical activity. My daily focus is doubling my use of the stairs. When I reach my office, I immediately go back up and down again. Sometimes I do it three or four times. I keep track of my trips on a pad at the bottom of the steps.
Don’t focus on winning. Develop daily habits that contribute to winning.
Reject the seduction of results. Commit to daily actions.
Don’ts of Focus
Don’t obsess about getting promoted. Embrace daily attitudes and activities that earn promotions.
Don’t concentrate on living a fruitful life. Practice life-giving habits.
Dreams frustrate until they distill into daily habits.
An Example
“Sweep the path” when your goal is servant leadership.
Daily habit: Perform a “Friction Audit.” Once a day, eliminate something that holds people back. In meetings, ask, “What makes work harder than it needs to be?”
Behaviors make intangible goals visible.
What daily ritual serves you well?
7 Advantages of Uncertainty That Leaders Maximize Everyday
Read: Atomic Habits
Dan, thanks for breaking it down. You put the cookies on the bottom shelf. I can get overwhelmed by the vision or goal, but daily, weekly, even monthly practices are achievable. I dreamed about writing a book. It became a reality through the small practices of daily writing.
People want to save for retirement. That takes discipline and the habit of monthly savings. After 40 years one has a nest egg. Besides, the results are beyond us, all we can do is the action. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks, Pete. It’s true. We forget what we know. We fall back into painful practices. Writing a daily blog is a reminder for me. Frankly, I can look back at something I wrote and realize, I need to put that into practice again.
This is so good, Dan! “Don’t focus on winning. Develop daily habits that contribute to winning. Don’t obsess about getting promoted. Embrace daily attitudes and activities that earn promotions. Don’t concentrate on living a fruitful life. Practice life-giving habits.” Absolute gold!
I don’t weigh in often but be assured I’m still reading every day. Hope all is well.
Thanks, Michael. I appreciate you dropping in. I hope your business is doing well.
I think this is particularly hard for ADHD folks who tend to do better focusing on outcomes rather than the drudge of the work, but I do agree that there are times we need to love the process not just the outcome. I love both the outcome and the process of meditation but at first the process was a struggle. Now I sometimes don’t care if I get no notice-able results, I just now I will feel better in the time I am doing the meditation for some portion of it. And taking the time for ourselves and cherishing ourselves is so rarely rewarded by society.