A few years ago, I was a personal development trainer in Nairobi. One of the things we did in the trainings was to take people through a firewalk.
Now, that might seem like a major thing. The reality is that it takes about 30 minutes of conditioning your mind in order to walk on fire.
That’s how fast it is to change your focus from fearing fire to walking confidently over it…in your bare feet. In fact, the conditioning works so well that people fight to be the first to walk across the fire.
Is this the only way to change your focus?
Walking on fire is not the only way to change your focus and turn a potentially scary experience into a joyful one.
What it does teach us though is the fact that humans are able to shift focus and achieve success very fast.
One little known trick that allows people to walk on fire is simply to focus on what you want to achieve. In this case, your achievement is getting to the end of the firewalk.
How can you do this in business?
To start with, make sure that you have set your business goals. Start by setting your long-term goals, then narrow down to mid-term goals and finally to your goals for the year.
Try to work with 3-6 goals at each stage and not more than that. When you have too many goals, you risk spreading yourself too thin and achieving none.
Now, one thing you have to do daily to make a strong commitment to focus on what you want and not what you don’t want.
If things aren’t going your way, think more in terms of your destination and come up with solutions that will help you get there.
The more you use this system, the easier it will be.
For example, in a coaching session, my client discovered that she had focused on her debts for a long time. She had done this for so long that she even had a card on her wall with the words, “Eliminate Debt.”
With time, and a bit of prodding on my part, she shifted and started focusing on her income goal. The best thing about this shift is that she also realized that by achieving her goals, she will be able to settle her debts comfortably.
Her life and business changed from that moment on and business grew. In one month, she moved from not having clients to having more clients than she could handle.
Such is the power of focus!
A word of warning!
The same system you use to change your focus into a success-oriented one can also turn against you. Many times, we focus on the wrong things in our businesses.
For example, if you’re having a challenge getting clients and you worry a lot about your business not making it, then your focus shifts from your goals to worry.
This shift will cost you a lot. You will find it hard to attract and keep clients, even when people really want to work with you.
So, if you want to change the direction your business is heading, start focusing on where you want to go and not where you’ve come from or the challenges you’re having.
How about you?
Back to you now. What is your main point of focus in your business? Is this working for you or is it time for a change? Let’s hear from you in the Comments.
(Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash)
