I want to come back and rewrite this one
You can’t get anywhere if you’re not dialed in. Like truly dialed in. I notice myself lose focus and try to look at my phone, however that always messes up the thought process. It make you lazy and less concentrated. It is a pure distraction. Focus is not something you can just keep telling yourself and it’ll happen. You have to physically focus your brain until it become a habit. You should feel like your brain is being used and worked. It will require lots of energy, however if focused on something you really like, it will 10x your current state. Lastly, it requires you to be hyperly be self-aware. Notice where your brain goes. Notice the thoughts that pass by. And intentionally bring your focus and thoughts back to the matter at hand. This exercise may seem tedious and hard at first but overtime it will only become more and more easy. It will become second nature. That is what we want to work towards, really honing in our focus.
Now why is the necessary and important.
Nothing meaninful can be accomplished with a lack of focus. Truly, all great things require time. If you can’t stay focused for the years, you will not be able to accomplish what you initially set out to do. The next time you sit down to do some work, or you are at the gym, or have gone somewhere else, be hyper cautious about where your mind is swaying. I notice my mind to starting thinking about:
- My goals
- What other people think of me
- How I stand in comparison to others
You see that these are not good thoughts. Your mental energy is getting wasted and distracted as these thoughts follow you around and into other parts of your life. It is imperative to protect your mind from these thoughts as it leads to a domino effect. One harmless negative thought 10 minutes later can have you sprialing about something you did 5 years ago, or stressed about someting that will happen 5 years from now, and that will not leave you in a good place.
Focusing on your goals will lead you to stray away from your focus and ultimately your goals. Yes, I know that is against what everyone else says. I’ve spent my whole life hyper focused on the goals I’ve set for myself, however by doing that you don’t actually get any word done. One can continue thinking about the goal and the outcome but if they are not building out a system to reach that goal and working towards it then nothing really will come of it. It’s effortless to get caught up in a dream of what the world will look like after you accomplish your goal. The podcasts, the TV shows, the online recognitions, the respect from family and friends, and while that’s all great and is human nature, it is not the goal. If this is your goal, I strongly suggest you go back to the drawing board and reconsider what you want as these are not goals, these are outputs of accomplishing a goal. So if I take a look at this scenario, your goal is not an input, it’s just a goal. Your system, your work across a span of years is your input. Focus on the input. Enjoy the input and the rest will come.
Don’t be too worried about what people will say. You have one life. This is actually a blessing. This should force you to live the way you want and most importantly not live a scared life.