Motivation Mojo > Stay Focused

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When I was a kid, I loved playing with a magnifying glass. It was always one of my favorite surprises at the bottom of a box of Cracker Jack. I’d take the cheap little plastic lens outside into the hot summer sun and try to start a fire! Not a big fire, not a blazing inferno—I just had a burning desire to create a little flame of fire. And maybe, fry an ant or two!

It would amaze me to find that, if I held the magnifying glass steady over a piece of tissue paper, the intense rays of the sun would become focused through the lens like a laser beam and burn a hole right through the paper. I controlled the power of the sun!

However, if my mind wandered or my hand wavered even the tiniest bit, the magnifying glass would fail to hold the sun's power and my mission would fizzle out. Oh sure, there might still be some heat generated, but my original goal would be lost.

Whenever I set out on a goal or mission, I pull out my mental magnifying glass, I hold it firmly and steadily above my goal, and I stay focused. All of my resources and energy are concentrated through the lens like a laser beam in the same direction, at the same intensity, and for the same purpose. Puff! It’s amazing that when you focus on something with a burning desire—whether it’s your job, your goal, your hobby, your health, the happiness of your loved ones—when you focus on it, you magnify it, making your goal more likely to become reality.

And if you don’t believe me, then listen to one of the richest people in the world. I cut out this Bill Gates quote from an article I saw on him in Fortune magazine. He said, “You know, the notion that a kid who thought software was cool can end up creating a company with all of these smart people whose software gets out to hundreds of millions of people, well, that’s an amazing thing. I’ve had one of the luckiest situations ever. But I’ve also learned that only through focus can you do world-class things, no matter how capable you are.”

Now I’m not telling you to put blinders on and lose your peripheral vision to the world around you. The last thing I want is for you to miss out on your family, passions, and all of the opportunities and spontaneous joy along your journey. I’m a cheerleader for enjoying the journey—and for helping others enjoy the journey. My point is to avoid distractions and refrain from allowing your mind to wander toward other people’s goals or to focus away from your own.

I like to quote this simple Russian Proverb that emphasis the point: “If you chase two rabbits, you catch neither.” -- PC