Find Your Focus

This is what a problem with FOCUS looks like and feels like.
This focus problem is paradoxical for entrepreneurs, because you have a STRONG desire to control your own schedule and work independently, yet you're struggling DAILY to get your to-do list done!

If you spend a lot of time feeling unfocused, you're going to feel dissatisfied, big time - after all, you're not moving yourself toward your goal - instead you're doing lots of other things. You'll also feel frustrated with yourself and ask "How come I don't have any self-discipline?".

There are 3 critical ingredients in your work: your dreams, your goals and your actions. When these 3 are aligned, you are full steam ahead! You throw yourself into your work and you receive tremendous satisfaction, because you're doing what you love and you're helping people. You're having an impact.

How Lack of Focus Undermines Your Dreams, Goals and Actions

You don't know what your dreams are. You have stopped paying attention to what your innermost self truly loves and values. You don't remember what sets you on fire. You can't even remember the last time you felt like you were on fire! You have no idea what your Big WHY is.

Your goals are what you feel you "should" do. You may have lots of practical goals but you don't feel excitement or passion or a thrill when you look at your goals. Ideally, your goals are stepping stones to making your dreams come true.

Your actions, which show up in physical form on your to-do list, are something you want to evade. When you look at your to-do list, you may feel overwhelmed. You often find those items boring or terrifying. You mostly want to get away from your to-do list. Even though you started your business so that you could be in charge of your to-do list, now it's in charge of you.

When Your Dreams, Goals and Actions Are Aligned, You Get FOCUS

Your goals are the steps that build to your dreams. Your goals are not disconnected elements that come from what you think you "should" be doing. Instead, there's an intimate connection between your goals and your dreams. Your goals represent the practical, tangible steps that move you toward your dreams. Your goals allow you to measure your progress toward your dreams.

Your actions, which show up on your to-do list, are your top priorities.

CALL TO ACTION

How do you get focused and stay focused?

Make sure you know your dreams. Give yourself permission to have dreams. YOUR dreams, not anyone else's dreams.

Make sure your goals are 1) your own and 2) build into your dreams. You probably know all about SMART goals; those come AFTER you're in touch with your dreams.

Make sure actions on your to-do list connect to your goals and therefore to your dreams. Write out this connection periodically. Pick to a task from your to-do list and write down which goal it supports and how that connects to one or more of your dreams. This will give you MORE energy to complete each task.