What Will It Take To Make You Focus?

“Always remember, your focus determines your reality” – George Lucas

John loved writing and music when he was young but he never pursued either one as a profession. Instead, after graduating from college with a degree in literature, he taught speech, drama, literature, languages, and music, in various universities throughout Europe. He joined the British Army in his thirties and became an educational officer and English language specialist.

John kept writing, but only here and there, on the side.

Five years later, John was diagnosed with brain cancer and given one year to live. With the prospect of death facing him, he decided to turn his “hobby” into a full-time profession and write ten novels so he could leave an inheritance for his wife.

It took a death sentence for John to become focused. What will it take for you? If you only had one year to live, what would you put your mind and your heart in to accomplishing in your last days on this earth?

There is a story that floats around on the Internet about Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. It goes like this, when asked, “What was the secret of your success?” without consulting each other, they both answered the same thing: “Focus”. Whether or not there is truth to this story, there is no doubt that focus is a powerful force to help you get whatever it is your are seeking in life.

In 2004 when I made the decision to become a coach, it seemed like an impossible task. I was working full-time in sales and marketing in the Pharmaceutical industry. My job required me to attend medical conferences all over the world to meet with physicians who I would then work with to produce peer reviewed presentations that represented evidence-based, cutting edge treatment for diseases such as cancer, heart-disease, and diabetes. These were time-sensitive presentations that had to be streamed online worldwide to physicians who were unable attended the conference.

When I rushed back to my office from the conference, I was immersed in working with a team to complete the online productions within days, or sometimes within even just a few hours of the original conference presentations. This, more times than not, required working 14 to 16 hour days. I tell you this not to tell you that I was overworked, because I loved every minute of what I was doing. It was an adrenaline rush and the final product gave me a sense of accomplishment. I tell you this in order to show you that it required focus.

Learning to focus in this way, set me up for repeating the process when I chose to pursue coaching as a profession rather than having it be something I did on the side. One year after gaining my ICF certification, I left my full time job to focus on being a full-time coach.

I learned that it is the doing of the work that gives you the power. Focusing however drives the work.

John Anthony Burgess Wilson did not in fact die within a year of being diagnosed. It turned out he was misdiagnosed and he lived on to write many more novels. In an interview with the Economist about that year, he said, “I produced five and a half (novels) though … And some of them are still around. But it was too much. I don’t think anyone should do quite as much as that.”

The novel you may know him best for is “A Clockwork Orange”. It was later turned into an equally successful movie.

Whatever your mission, why not give yourself a deadline? Do something everyday toward the completion of your mission and see what miracles you can produce.

For example, if you want to write a 50,000 word novel or “how to” book, how long would that take you? If it you wrote 500 words a day, it would take 100 days. At 1,000 words a day, only 50 days.

A painter paints. A musician makes music. A coach coaches. A writer writes.