Image by revbean via Flickr I've had many conversations around a question similar to this: "How in the world do I succeed in today's volatile economic climate?" So many variables have to be considered when asking this question. For today, however, I will discuss two main ingredients in the overall formula for success. These two seem quite obvious, but are absolutely essential if you are ever going to gain traction in your current employment, or with a business idea you may be considering. These two ingredients are Passion and Focus! Have you ever tried to do anything without passion? It's like having hair in your tooth paste. It's just not quite right. You go through the motions; go to work, put out fires, answer phone calls and emails, try to identify new business opportunities, try to please the boss, then go home. Rinse and repeat day in and day out. If you don't have some vested interest in the work you are trying to get done, you will NEVER; let me say it one more time...NEVER be truly successful. Let me tell you what I mean when I say "successful." One, you won't be personally fulfilled or satisfied by the work you are doing. Two, boredom will set in and we all know "Idle time is the Devil's playground." Three, you will become easily distracted and won't be able to provide your full, undivided attention to the task at hand!! What happens then? You basically do half-baked work that gets you through to the next paycheck! No recognition, no accolades, no pay increases, no promotion. What kind of life is that??? This brings me to my next point.
Focus. When you are distracted, you do completely lose focus. Imagine a baseball player stepping up to the plate to take a swing when suddenly their vision becomes blurry. The chances of that batter hitting the ball, let along hitting a home run, jut greatly diminished. This is EXACTLY what happens to us when we lose focus in our jobs. We DON'T hit the home run! We DON'T get on base! We DON'T miraculously become successful by missing the ball! We become even more disgruntled with our current situation and desperation sets in to find the next new thing. This is a CRAZY REVOLVING DOOR that just won't stop unless you do something about it!
So, as you continue through this week and into the future, write down these two words on a piece of paper, on a mirror, or at least somewhere where you can see them daily; Passion and Focus. Think about what you are passionate about so you can slowly shift your career to focus on that indulgence. Your life, family, friends and career will all feel the significant positive effects of the two simple words "focused" on today! Cheers to your success!!
