The following contains excepts from the book, The Power of Focus (Jack Canfield)
At our music school in Midland, Texas, we believe that music is more than sound, it is relationships. When studying the value of relationships, the subjects of leadership, self-leadership, and personal accountability come into play.
In this book Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt explain that three of the biggest challenges facing people today are time pressures, financial pressures and the struggle to maintain a healthy balance between work and home. Their advice is geared toward finding solutions to these challenges, and the strategies they offer are practical. The authors also explain that the main reason most people struggle professionally and personally is simply due to a lack of focus caused by procrastination, distractions and interruptions.
Here’s what’s important: Life doesn’t just happen to you. It’s all about choices and how you respond to every situation. If you are in the habit of continually making bad choices, disaster often occurs. Your everyday choices ultimately determine whether you end up living with abundance or living in poverty. Consistent choices lay the foundation for your habits. Your habits play a major role in how your future unfolds. This includes the habits you display to the business world every day, as well as the variety of behaviors that show up in your personal life. These strategies are not gender specific. One of the most exciting developments in the marketplace today is the rapid growth of women entrepreneurs. Successful people have successful habits; unsuccessful people don’t!
Onen of the most powerful life-skills we can help students at our music school in Midland, Texas develop is the ability to focus, through long-range goals, personal practice, and patient consistency.
It’s Not Hocus-Pocus, It’s All About Focus
Focus most of your time on the things you do brilliantly. Delegate the rest.
Discover your brilliance. What do you do effortlessly? What skill do you have that other people marvel at? Is there a market for your unique talents? First, you need to differentiate your areas of brilliance from your weaknesses.
Make a list of all the things you do well and rate them on a scale of one to ten (one for weakest, ten for strongest). The ones that score a ten will be the talents, skills or attributes that bring you the greatest rewards- your areas of brilliance.
Now make a list of your typical weekly activities. If necessary, jot down every fifteen minutes what you are doing. In a few days, you’ll be able to see exactly where all your time is going. How much time are you spending on the things you do best?
For many, the answer is between 15 and 25 percent. What if you were to change this to 80- 90 percent? How would this affect your health, wealth and happiness?
If you’re feeling swamped, get help! Hire an effective, dedicated personal assistant to take care of the many administrative tasks that distract you. A personal assistant is not a secretary. Your assistant’s duty is to keep you focused on what you do brilliantly. They organize not only your time, but also your associations. You will be able to focus on the tasks- and the people- that are most important.
One of the greatest values students have at our music school in Midland, Texas is the objectivity our teachers bring to help the student realize what their core strengths are. Once recognized, we help the student to develop to their maximum potential.
The 4-D solution
Here are four steps to help you focus when something else, such as a phone call, fax, e-mail or even employee, tries to divert your attention:
1. Dump It. Be strong. Learn to say ‘No’.
2. Delegate It. It’s an important task, but someone else can do it. Don’t feel guilty, just hand it over.
3. Defer It. You need to do this, but not right away. Schedule another time to complete it.
4. Do It. The task is urgent and you need to do it now. Start immediately and give yourself a reward when you have finished.
Do You See the Big Picture?
It’s easy to lose sight of your goals. Sometimes we’re so busy we can’t see the big picture anymore. Schedule time to think. Make it a priority. Develop unusual clarity- a crystal-clear picture of what you want- so that you can refocus and look at things in perspective.
The Top-10 Goals Checklist
If you’re finding it difficult to focus on your goals, here is a wonderful checklist that will help you set, or re-set goals that will last the distance.
- Your most important goals must be yours. It sounds obvious, but don’t let the media, parents, friends or neighbors set your goals. Make sure your goals are what you really want.
- Your goals must be meaningful. If you’re goal isn’t meaningful it won’t last the distance. What are you willing to give up to achieve this goal? You can guarantee there will be sacrifices along the way. Your goals should be what drive you to get up in the morning- even when you don’t feel like it.
- Your goals must be specific and measurable. Accurately define what you want: the more specific the better. If your goal is to be financially independent, define what that means. Does it mean having $50 million in the bank, being debt free etc. Be more specific.
- Your goals must be flexible. On the road to achieve your goals, other opportunities may arise. You don’t need to try every new idea, but be open to genuine opportunities.
- Your goals must be challenging and exciting. Think big. Your goals should be so exciting they keep you up at night. They don’t have to be epic, like climbing Mt. Everest (unless that’s what you want), but they shouldn’t be mediocre.
As teachers at our music school in Midland, Texas we help the student to identify attainable, ye t challenging goals they can pursue, in a way that brings excitement and encouragement in their creative journey.
- Your goals must be in alignment with your values. If your goals are in alignment with your values, achieving them becomes easier. There will be no internal conflict and this combined energy will propel you to greater success.
- Your goals must be well balanced. When people in their eighties are asked what they would do differently if they could live their lives again, they never say, ‘I’d spend more time at the office.’ Set goals that include the more pleasant things of life such as family time, recreation, travel and hobbies.
- Your goals must be realistic. If you’re four feet tall, it’s unlikely you’ll play professional basketball. Set goals that are challenging, but achievable, and give yourself enough time to complete them.
- Your goals must include contribution. Many just set monetary goals and don’t leave any room for giving. Remember to also set goals that give something back. This contribution can take many forms, but the payback is guaranteed, though it often comes in unexpected ways.
- Your goals need to be supported. You’ll need some help along the way. You have three options: a) Tell the world- lots of pressure, but it works for some. b) Don’t tell anyone- actions speak louder than words. c) Tell a select few people whom you trust and who will support you (recommended). When you find it difficult to focus on your goals, then it’s time to refocus. The next strategy will help you do this daily.
We intend to support students in our music school in Midland, Texas all the way through their journey of learning, helping them to set reasonable goals and see step by step, progressive, wins which give them confidence as they become successful.
Creating Optimum Balance
The B-Alert system
B is for Blueprint- Make a blueprint of the day; a map of what you want to accomplish. Do it the night before or early in the morning. If you plan the night before, research has indicated that your unconscious mind will actually be working out how to fulfil your plans! Either way, with your day already mapped out before you begin, you will have a tremendous feeling of confidence and reduced stress.
A is for Action – There is a difference between being busy and taking well planned action. You can be busy all day and not accomplish anything. Remember The Big Picture. Spend your time on what you do best. If you’re getting distracted, remember the 4-D solution: Dump, Delegate, Defer or Do it.
L is for Learning– An important part of every day is learning, although this doesn’t mean you have to attend a university lecture. Consider the following:
Try to begin each day by reading for thirty minutes. Read only uplifting material, such as biographies and autobiographies of successful people. Avoid negative portions of news that will only depress you before the day has even begun.
Read book summaries!
Listen to motivational audiotapes in the car, rather than the radio.
Watch informative and intellectually stimulating television documentaries.
Learn from yourself. Analyze daily and past successes.
E is for Exercise– Don’t groan. Twenty minutes a day will do. The results are spectacular. George Burns, the famous comedian who lived to be a 100 years old, said the secret to his longevity was daily stretching for fifteen minutes. A good routine would be thirty minutes per day, which includes stretching time. This time could also include walking, swimming or any other kind of exercise you prefer.
R is for Relaxing– It may sound strange, but regularly relaxing will make you more productive. Everyday, take a TPM (Twenty-five Peaceful Minutes), which is basically a short nap. Do it anywhere you can: the office, the car, somewhere that will be quiet and where you won’t be disturbed. This will help to alleviate the daily ‘sag’ and will rejuvenate both your body and mind. Aside from a daily siesta, schedule regular time off. During this time, your specific action is to have 100 percent fun. Don’t feel guilty and don’t do anything work related. Switch off the mobile phone and don’t check your email. Some business people can’t grasp this concept. Take time off to enjoy life. In terms of work, you’ll recharge your batteries, clear your head and your productivity will actually increase.
T is for Thinking– This is reflective thinking. At the end of the day, review it. How did you do? What could you have improved? If you made mistakes, don’t beat yourself up. Learn, and do better tomorrow. Daily reflection will produce weekly, monthly and yearly benefits. This system may seem to defeat its own purpose. However, your time will be more effectively used and you will make more money doing less while also having plenty of time off for family and recreation.
At our music school in Midland, Texas we believe that balance in life is a key component to success. That is why we view the study of music wholistically, acknowledging the many benefits learning music can bring to learning life-lesson such as discipline, focus, goal-setting, long-range development, listening skills, and intuitive empathy.