The Power of Focus

Research clearly indicates that the three biggest challenges facing business people today are time pressures, financial pressures, and maintaining a healthy balance with work and home.

This book is a practical guide on how to focus our energies to balance these challenges by using the following strategies:

• Build on your strengths rather than focus on weaknesses
• See the big picture and design a crystal clear master plan of your future
• Create optimum balance by the choices you make
• Build excellent relationships, and say no to toxic people
• Build confidence and eliminate fear and worry
• Ask for what you want cleanly and clearly
• Be consistent and persist – success is often just around the corner
• Take decisive action
• Live on purpose and make life simple.

Each chapter provides action steps to take to develop the habits and focus for success in that area.  It begins and ends with the premise that our habits will determine our future.  “Life doesn’t happen to you.  It’s all about the choices and how you respond to every situation”.  Our everyday choices ultimately determine our results, and there are always opportunities we can seize, although sometimes they may be difficult to see. Our consistent choices lay the foundation for our habits, and our habits determine our outcomes.

A habit is something that we do repeatedly that then becomes easy.  Successful people always have successful habits.  When we persist in developing a new behaviour we get brain entrainment, and the behaviour then becomes automatic.  With this knowledge we can rechoose our behaviours at any time and reprogram our beliefs, resulting in new behaviours that will eventually, when we repeat them often, become a habit – easy and automatic.

The difficulty is that the results of our bad habits usually don’t show up until later in life, and then we have less time to enjoy new ways of being.  Lots of people are living an instant gratification existence.  They buy things on credit, eat things that are not good for them, put off exercise for something easier and more comfortable, and put off investing time and energy into their most important relationships.

The book provides a list of bad habits that we are often not aware we practice (you can tick any that apply!):

•          Not returning phone calls on time.
•          Being late for meetings.
•          Practicing poor communication with other people.
•          Having a lack of clarity about expected outcomes.
•          Not allowing enough travel time for outside appointments.
•          Not attending to paperwork quickly and efficiently.
•          Handling mail and papers more than once.
•          Allowing bills to go unpaid, resulting in penalties.
•          Not following up consistently on overdue consumables.
•          Talking instead of listening.
•          Putting yourself down with negative self talk.
•          Working long days with no exercise or regular breaks.
•          Not spending enough time with your partner and children.
•          Forgetting someone’s name sixty seconds (or less) after being introduced.
•          Hitting the snooze alarm several times before getting out of bed.
•          Eating fast-food regularly (more than once a week).
•          Eating at irregular times of the day.
•          Leaving home in the morning without hugging your partner, children and/or pet.
•          Taking work home with you.
•          Socializing too much on the telephone, facebook or other form of social media.
•          Continually making reservations at the last minute (restaurant, travel, entertainment).
•          Not following through on time as promised, with other people’s requests or your agreements.
•          Feeling guilty when you take time off.
•          Having your mobile phone on 24/7.
•          Answering the phone during meals.
•          Controlling every decision, especially the small stuff.
•          Procrastinating on everything from tax [and BAS stuff] to cleaning out the garage and bedrooms.

This book is a “how to” guide to shift from bad habits to great habits that will support you achieving your big dreams and goals.  When we focus on taking the first step in the direction of what we want, whatever that may be, then take another and another, pretty soon our life will change for the better.  With practice and persistence, new habits will become part of us.

Each of the authors provides their best advice for the reader:

Jack Canfield:

• Do what you love with passion and excellence and the money will follow.
• Read all you can, attend seminars, listen to tapes and put what you learn into action.
• Make a study of the universal laws of success, prosperity and abundance.
• Tithe a percentage of your income to your church and favorite charities.
• Always strive for constant and never-ending improvement in everything you do.

Mark Victor Hansen

• Make a decision to be financially independent and your subconscious mind will make provision.  “I will earn…(goal)”.
• Carry a 3×5” card that says, “I am so happy I am…(goal)”.  Read it at least 3 times a day.
• Love your job or livelihood, and let it love you.  I love speaking, writing, creating , thinking, promoting and marketing and because I love it, it thrives.
• Create a dream team of like-minded colleagues who will help you make your dreams come true now.
• Serve greatly with love and a happy heart.

Les Hewitt

• Focus on what you do best.  Strive to be a leader in your field of expertise.  My talents are coaching, writing and creating self-awareness products.
• Look for specific opportunities that will complement and expand your greatest strengths.  I created the Achievers Coaching Program for entrepreneurs because I relate easily to their challenges.
• Invest first in your own business.  Stay away from deals and industries you know little about.  That’s why warren Buffett has done so well.
• Surround yourself with brilliant financial mentors as suggested above.  Who you know who is at least as important as what you know.
• Develop and maintain simple financial habits.  Invest 10% of your income every month.  Do not consume more than you earn.  Know where your money goes. Strive to be debt –free.

The book concludes with a “Life’s Fundamentals List:

• Know what you want; Know why you want it.
• Discover your talents; Use them daily.
• Work hard; Work smart.
• Give unconditionally; Love unconditionally.
• Find your purpose; Live your purpose.

Life is short.  Focus from this day forward on making a difference.

 If you would like to purchase this book you can click on the link to Amazon.com or fishpond.com below.

• http://www.amazon.com/Power-Focus-Business-Financial-Certainty/dp/1558747524#_
• or go to www.fishpond.com.au  for free delivery.