The Power of Focus
Posted on April 12, 2013 by Penny August, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
If you believe in something strongly and never take your eyes off your goal, you just might get it.
George, our little Westie dog, used to sit for hours at a time just looking up into the big old Juniper tree at the squirrel teasing his tail at him from high up on a branch. George would watch and wait patiently, never wavering in his determination, never losing focus, until I finally had to pick him up and carry him in for dinner. This scene occurred frequently throughout his life. George never did get the squirrel, but he never, ever lost focus on his goal.
Our current dog, a champagne-colored Miniature Schnauzer named Max, would do anything for broccoli. Last week, when we had broccoli for dinner, Max sat by my side, staring at the broccoli on my plate, never taking his eyes off it. I asked him, “Do you really think you can make this broccoli fly off my plate just by concentrating on it?” when I realized that might be exactly what he thought. And then a funny thing happened. I threw a piece of broccoli down to him. So for Max, apparently, being totally focused on your goal does occasionally pay off.
What if we had such powers of concentration and determination? What if, when we really, really wanted something so badly we could taste it – we kept our eyes on the goal and let nothing deter us? What if we pursued our goal relentlessly, day after day, year after year, never conceding failure? I think if the goal were even remotely realistic, that kind of focus would make it happen.
Happen or not, I bet that if I could have had the conversation with George on his last day about the fact that, despite his dogged determination, he never did get the squirrel, he would have told me that his life was better just for believing that he would.
