What's Really Stopping You From Reaching The Next Level

"The immature mind hops from one ting to the next, the mature mind seeks to follow through." Harry A. Overstreet

The truth is that we all have the same number of hours in the day. No one is blessed with 25, 26, or even 24.5 hours in any given day. So why is it that some have the ability to create the life and desired outcomes they wish while others are constantly creating a life of discontent?

Is it luck?

Is it chance?

Where your focus goes, your energy flows. 

I spoke to a group of individuals at a leadership summit and I asked them in a breakout session "What do you want?" The majority of them spent time telling me all the things they didn't want. 

I don't want to be...

I don't want to have...

I don't want...

Not knowing that by doing so, they are actually creating more of it. In fact this was a real life lesson for me at the age of 28. For 28 years I focused on all of the things that could go wrong in my life and sure enough...up until then I always got what I did not want. 

My mantra was "Hope for the best, prepare for the worse."

Let me tell you, Hope is not a strategy. 

So what is the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful?

What was the shift that had to happen in my life in order for me to have REAL change in my Health, Wealth, Relationships, and Growth?

A shift in my ability to FOCUS!

You see, when we focus on what we cannot control we end up

• Frustrated
• Agitated
• Aggravated

WHAT YOU FOCUS ON, YOU CREATE!

So where has your focus been lately?

What have you allowed to steal your attention and divert your ability to design the outcomes you desire?

Here are 3 ways to dial in your focus:

1. Identify Priorities: No one wakes up in the morning with the intention to just let time and energy go to irrelevant things and other people's agenda...but most do. Simply planning the day ahead of the chaos allows for you to have a "Basecamp" to check in with throughout the day and realign your actions with your intent. This should be done 3 x day: morning, afternoon, and at night.

2. Set Realistic Goals / Expectations: Once you realize that you cannot be everything to everyone, you understand the value of delegation. As a leader, you cannot and will not know everything. What you need to focus on is who do you need to influence that has the skill, talent, and ability to carry out the functions needed so that you can focus on what's important. Many of us will set goals and expectations based on the opinions or desires of others only to find that we usually fall short. Never over promise and under deliver. 

3. Set Time To Think: In the morning and at night before going to bed are great times to set aside 20 minutes to "think." Many people will wake up and run themselves into the ground until finally passing out for the night. If you find yourself in this situation, you are probably suspect to point number 2...setting realistic expectations and goals. Always bookend your days with thinking time. Clarity comes from meditation and then movement...Order before movement....you know the old sayings. 

Get focused, get dialed in, start creating from desire, not discontent.