eBusiness Weekly
Arthur Marara
These past two years have tested many businesses and threw many off course due to Covid-19. The period that we are in, many organisations have already commenced their strategic planning sessions, setting goals for the coming year, and leave the sessions sometimes confident that things are going to happen, but why is it that there is no change in your organisation or in your personal life? Setting goals is one thing, and achieving them is another.
Goal setting and planning alone does not guarantee success, but FOCUSING on the execution of that particular goal and plan does.
There is power in positive focus. The challenge with most people and organisations is lack of focus. What you focus on grows, and what you neglect dies. The question therefore is how do you stay focused.
Prioritise your quiet time
You cannot make significant movement in the midst of the noise. You need to prioritise your quiet time. Designate time that you give to yourself to reflect and introspect. One of the best time is early in the morning when everyone is asleep. Start your day early. Use this time to review your day.
Think about your goals, and make strategic plans. This will help you focus on the elements that can really make a difference in your business.
One of the time you can use as your quiet time is your driving time especially when you drive by yourself.
Using this time can help you get clarity on many issues and make plans for the future. I use my quiet to prepare for my next talks, books, business concepts amongst many things. It Works wonders. What works for you?
Keep your eyes on the target
A story is told about a certain Master who wanted to show his students a new technique of shooting an arrow. He told his students to cover his eyes with a cloth and then he shot his arrow. When he opened his eyes, he saw the target with no arrow on it and when he looked at his students, they looked embarrassed because their teacher had missed.
The Master asked them, “What lesson do you think I intend to teach you all today?” They answered, “We thought you would show us how to shoot at the target without looking.” The Master said, “No, I taught you that if you want to be successful in life, don’t forget the target. You have to keep an eye on the target; otherwise you may miss a good opportunity in life.”
The students looked at each other in awe and admiration of the profound principle that they had been taught. This is what we need to do as well in our lives, to keep our eyes on the target and shoot.
You cannot achieve maximum results without focusing on your goal. Many people are like the students who wanted to see if some miracle would take place without the Master looking.
Their curiosity did not pay off. The lesson taught by the Master applies to us, if we want to achieve anything meaningful in life.
Consistently focus on your goal as if your life depends on it, you will see the miracle of a focused life. When you divide your focus, you also divide the possibility of actually achieving the goal that you set your mind on.
Keep your eye on the big picture
In times that are full of distractions, you need to keep your eyes glued on the bigger picture.
Clearly identify and define what that big picture looks like and ensure that you do not lose sight of it. You cannot focus on what you cannot define.
The picture must where your business is currently, and its potential, and the direction you want it to go.
Your activities must be informed by this picture. Challenge yourself to be ahead in whatever that you do so that you do not trail behind.
Planning each week
Planning is and should be a habit. In fact, it will actually help you stay focused on your goals. Set aside time every week to plan and check on progress for each goal.
This allows you to be effectively in control of your time.
You cannot just be cruising into the year without reviewing what happened in the past week, and see what needs to be done differently.
Look in particular, what could you celebrate? What did you learn? Also have the courage to tell yourself the truth about where you got stuck? What is it that you can do this week that can give you better results.
Stop multitasking
This is the temptation that many business leaders need to overcome. If you can manage to avoid multitasking you will be able to stay focused.
There is usually a thinking that you can multi-task successfully, but the truth is that you cannot.
The human mind according to research shows that the can only focus successfully on one thing at a time. One of the common ways of multitasking people do in daily life is texting and driving.
Many are guilty of this. It has actually been proven that if you are texting and driving, it is the equivalent of driving for 15 seconds with your eyes closed. Imagine the chaos that can happen. Imagine trying to multitask on big business decisions. You may not necessarily get the quality results that you want. Focus means FOLLOW ONE COURSE UNTIL SUCCESS. This is the best way to stay focused on your goals.
Set accountability mechanism
You need to put in place accountability mechanism. You can create a sort of accountability club comprised of people who are also working on remaining focused on their goals.
These can be friends, family, business colleagues who also have similar goals. The human mind does wonders when it knows that there is a duty to account. Put in place times when you will get to account. It may be monthly or weekly.
Each member must commit to updating the rest of the community of the progress that they are making, including the challenges that they are facing. Derive motivation from the fact that you do not want to disappoint the group, and by so doing you will be able to make significant progress in your goals.
Arthur Marara is a corporate law attorney, keynote speaker, corporate and personal branding speaker commanding the stage with his delightful humor, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. He is a financial wellness expert and is passionate about addressing the issues of wellness, strategy and personal and professional development. Arthur is the author of “Toys for Adults” a thought provoking book on entrepreneurship, and “No one is Coming” a book that seeks to equip leaders to take charge. Send your feedback to [email protected] or Visit his website www.arthurmarara.com or contact him on +26372467255 for bookings.
