Driving a vehicle at speed between narrow barriers can be unnerving.
Unless the driver keeps their eyes focused forward, they are likely to brush or crash against the very obstacles they are trying to avoid.
Driving an automobile safely means allowing our hands and steering to follow our eyes, focused exclusively on where we want to go and not on the objects surrounding us.
The same is true for achieving goals.
Where we focus our attention significantly shapes our experience. Focus is a limited resource. Our perceptions and experiences are largely dictated by what we choose to pay attention to and focus on.
People achieve more when they focus on where they want to go and not on the noise that surrounds them. Both short- and long-term goals benefit from this forward focus.
Losing focus on the prize is what derails accomplishment and success. Distractions impede progress. While it is not always possible to block out the peripheral noise, the better we do at concentrating on the endpoint, the more we achieve.
Our actions follow our attention and focus.
When we concentrate on where we want to go and not on the obstacles and traps along the route, we unconsciously align our behaviors to move us forward and toward that goal.
We begin to see opportunities that might help us in our journey. Our heightened awareness reinforces the need to zero in on the details and milestones critical to success. Good things begin to happen.
As the impact of distractions lessens, our confidence rises. With a narrow scope aimed at a specific target, our execution becomes more fluid. With each passing milestone, the momentum of success builds and increases our commitment. All because we refused to direct our attention to anywhere else but on the end goal.
Focusing forward is a skill and a discipline, and the most productive and highly accomplished performers and leaders have mastered it. They use it every day with big and small goals. So should you.
A Daily Dispatch from the Front Lines of Leadership.
