Holding Focus While Rome Burns... or something interesting like that!

[Cate Ferguson]

What happens when you lose focus? Things become blurry if you are talking about your eyesight, but when I think about it a little more that’s exactly what happens in your life too.

Ø When you lose focus, you lose Clarity.

Ø Things get harder to accomplish so, you lose efficiency.

Ø Things get ‘dropped’ as you become disorganised when you lose your Focus.

Ø Sometimes, you can even begin to question why you are even bothering to continue on the path you have chosen – all because you have lost Focus.

So loss of Focus leads to blurry vision in more than eyesight – it can lead to lack of vision and clarity, efficiency and even commitment to your highest good in your experience of life. Well, that’s how it seems to me anyway.

All this began when I read a Blog entry about someone becoming overwhelmed as a result of attending a round of conferences. Because they became so involved, both helping to organise and attending these functions, they allowed themselves to momentarily lose their Focus. The Result? They dropped the ball totally and ended up not being able to meet their other commitments, run their business and a host of other things they wanted to achieve. They titled their Blog something like “My Response to Overwhelm”.

That title got me thinking about what happens to us when we do become overwhelmed with things. I tend to run and hide away until I can summon the strength to face everything. Overwhelm usually happens to me when I’m not getting enough rest – that means I’m not looking after myself properly and I’ve allowed myself to get tired and a bit run down. I get cranky and snappy and cry easily – sure signs of overwhelm for me!!

I had a chat with Shaun about it and he used the word Focus during the conversation and I realised that, really deep down, that is what the core issue is here.

Ø I get into “information overload” and lose Focus.

Ø I get tired and run down and I lose Focus.

Ø I try to be superwoman and do EVERYTHING and then I discover that I can’t and all I’ve succeeded in doing is making myself exhausted (lost my focus)!

Well as soon as I honed in on that one word, I began to see and hear it everywhere I looked. Focus is an absolutely VITAL component of my life – without it, things just seem to fall apart! And it’s not just me.

You know what can potentially happen when you are driving your car and you lose concentration (Focus) don’t you? How about all the things you need to do to get out the door in the mornings – ensure there is food for breakfast, pack the kids lunches, sign the school notes, “mum where are my socks?” kind of emergencies…..

Without Focus we are all sitting very, very low in the water!!

It seems to me that we (I do anyway) need to cultivate a raft of things to support us when we do lose our Focus (become overwhelmed and overloaded) and to sustain us when things are going well, to help keep us alert and focused.

So what might be useful for me (and maybe you) to pull together to support and sustain myself?

Ø Obviously getting enough rest and relaxation is vital for me.

How can I ensure that happens – I’ve set myself a bedtime! I know that sounds a bit silly but when I become FOCUSED on something the time just slips away. Right now I’m writing a book and before I know it three or fours hours have just slipped away. This is something I need to be very focused about.

Ø Being organised helps me to stay focused and it also helps me get back on track when I have let myself ‘drop the ball’.

There are lots of tools out there to assist you in staying organised and a good diary and or day book will get you started. Write a list – simple, heard it a million times… guess what? It works.

Ø Staying connected to your vision is also really important.

This is focus as purpose and it will motivate you to get back up when you feel you can’t go on, it will stir you to finish the job at hand and it will fill you with joy when you accomplish a cherished goal.

Ø How you stay connected is very personal.

I meditate daily and say affirmations constantly.

I read wonderful uplifting books;

I talk with supportive and imaginative friends.

I share my vision with others so they can support me when I lose my focus.

Focus is many, many things. It is where you put your attention. It is how much attention you place on something depending where it falls in the grand scheme of things. It is being able to concentrate on something and take in new information. Focus is also vision and not just the being able to use your eyes kind of vision. Focus is keeping your eye on your vision for your life. Focus is Purpose.

Take some time to build yourself a system to sustain and support you so that when your focus begins to slip you can grab hold of that vision and stand tall again.

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