Success 101: Focus
“ The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”
— Warren Buffet
Focus is the open secret to personal or business success. It is that one salient habit when deliberately applied, produces visible and measurable ‘return on investment’.
There is a fear of losing out that drives us and motivates us to try to do everything that our hearts desire. It’s easy to find things that attract our interest to work on. But we shouldn’t forget that every task, every project, takes a specific amount of resources. Whether you are a “small-timer” or “big-timer”, those resources are limited.
But as you move from one mind-blowing idea to another, you’ll slowly discover a fundamental truth:
You can’t do everything. And if you try, you won’t do anything well. The old saying that when you try to do too many things at once, you end up doing a whole lot of things poorly tends to be true.
Success in business requires focus in the broadest definition of the word. It means that you are ‘only and fully’ centered on the projects/products/services/tasks connected to your streamlined best goals.
Steve Jobs was known for this, and though it cost him relationship and opportunities, he was uncompromising and unwavering on his most important values and the concentration he applied to their achievement.
“ Innovation is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things. You have to pick carefully. ”
— Steve Jobs
He took no prisoners when doing away with distractions — if you had no relevance to his immediate purpose, then you were irrelevant. And this very approach is the attestation to his many successes.
By dedicating yourself to something and doing it well, you increase your distinctive appeal. Focus on your core competencies and most profitable products or services — you will generally find it is easier to attain growth.
Set your Goal. Set [short] deadlines. Submit yourself to your project/task. Avoid distractions completely. Finish and Avoid jumping from project to project. Be Successful.
