We live in a world with a million possible distractions, pressures, emergencies and interruptions. How can we possibly stay sane and focused on our goals?
There are always going to be several things constantly competing for your time – marketing campaigns to design, team members to manage, customers to respond to, business opportunities to explore, issues to follow up, personal commitments, etc. However, whenever you try to work on too many things at the same time, inevitably none of them ever get done – or done well.
To assist you in staying on track and keeping things simple, I’ve developed the following list of five simple techniques/questions to keep things in perspective. When in doubt, check this list for guidance.
- Has anyone died?
If not, relax and calm down. As long as no one has died, it’s really not that serious and there is a solution to every challenge you face. - Am I trying to eat an elephant in one sitting?
Breaking things into bite-sized chunks makes the world of difference. Having broad, high-level goals is good, but having an actionable plan is essential. A detailed, step-by-step plan can help you identify how you can get from where you are to where you want to be. Remember, a journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step. - Am I in a bad neighbourhood?
If you are not in a good place emotionally, change your physiology immediately. That means get up and get moving – put on your favourite song or do the “dance of joy”. Whatever it takes, do it now. - Am I grateful for what I already have?
It is impossible to bring more of what you want into your life if you are feeling ungrateful about what you already have. It has been said that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. In many ways, gratitude is a bit like that – it’s not what you say, the mere words that count, but sum of the words and the heartfelt emotion behind them. - Am I focused on what I want or don’t want?
Whether we realise it or not, we are visualising things all the time – visualising either what we want or don’t want. If you are relentlessly focused on the negative outcome and are riddled by fear, that will affect your reality.
It’s very easy to get so caught up in the emotion of emergencies, disruptions and day-to-day activities that you can easily lose sight of what is most important to your success and wellbeing. These simple tips and questions will help you stay more in touch with what is most essential to your future. Most importantly, these techniques – and keeping a sense of humour – are vital to helping you stay focus on your ultimate goals.
Rhondalynn Korolak is a lawyer, chartered accountant, clinical hypnotherapist and Master of NLP and is an expert at business acceleration and the power of influence. She is the author of On The Shoulders of Giants and Financial Foreplay.
