Keeping your eyes on the ball – focus!

What is that one thing you have set out to achieve this year? What is that thing that you believe in your heart that you are playing for? What is that thing that you would want to achieve?

Why do you desire that goal? How important is it for you, that you accomplish it? If you have narrowed down what the answers to these questions are, then it is time for you to keep your eyes on the ball and focus!

Focus is having the ability to keep your eyes on the center of any activity you want to achieve. It is the ability to zero in on exactly what matters at a time. The ability to focus is largely learnt and never in-born.

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Now, imagine a football match with players from both teams always running on a pitch in both directions on a 90-minute timeline. They are both in that game with just one mission – to put the ball into the opponent’s goal post and to do that, their focus is on the ball. Every player scrambles not just to collect the ball, but to score a goal!

What do you think would happen if their eyes were glued to the fans? A loss for sure! This is what focus does.

You are on it, you win! Your eyes are off, you lose! Now, I ask again, what is that one activity you have set out to achieve this year?

What are your laid out plans to achieve this? Have you considered what steps you must take to win? Just like the team playing to win, you must keep your eyes on the ball, which is your outlined steps and get to the goal post, your desired end.

Remember that until you get to the desired end, which is to accomplish your desires, you have not won. Your ability to say no to an array of beautiful options, just to say yes to the one great option that best suits your desire is focus. We can agree that the greatest enemy of focus is distraction.

While distraction may not be bad at the time, allowing it to creep in when you have clearly set out a goal should be avoided. The idea of putting away what you should do today for tomorrow; procrastination is a pointer to losing focus. For some of us, we came into this new year with so many plans and resolutions and yet, we are yet to take the first step to achieving that.

For some that their desire is to further their education, the first step would be to narrow down what you would like to study, work to meet the basic requirements and then consider the institution that offers that field of study. The irony is that while this sounds traditional, the internet has somewhat simplified studying! There are relevant courses you can go through with just your phone in your hands!

Remember some certifications are free! Unfortunately, while the internet serves as a positive tool for some, it could serve as a pathway to distraction for others. Now ask yourself, which is it for you?

For some of us, we are constantly filled with excuses about why it is impossible to do that which needs to be done. Having the right-can-do-attitude would be the first place to start from. You cannot set a goal without laying down a plan on how to achieve it.

However, you must decide for yourself, why the goal and its importance to you. This would help propel you to keep your eyes on the ball! Remember that what controls your attention would end up driving your direction, so pay attention to what matters most!

So therefore, the question then is where is your focus? What keeps you from accomplishing your desires. Would you confidently say that your focus is right on the prize or is it just about everywhere?

To effectively glide through, narrow your goals and/or desires to just one or two as that way, it is easily achievable. Some of us engage in what I call, “multi-desiring” and end up not achieving any of those. You must learn to choose and pick what is important at a material time.

In addition, you can create a “Step-by-step board” with timelines, detailing all you need to do and the time it would take to have that achieved. Remember putting a time to it as this would help you be accountable. On the other hand, a “scoreboard” that clearly shows what you have achieved would be a great tool.

Be accountable to yourself even when you are distracted and re-FOCUS! Remember, the Change you desire and deserve is YOU! This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.

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