The Power of Focus: How to Hit Your Business, Personal and Financial Targets with Absolute Certainty

“When you constantly strive to improve, you build character.”

Good habits are founded in the practice of making good choices continually and persistently. If you are determined to develop good habits that will significantly improve the quality of your life, you must practice them every day in order to change your behavior, and your future as well. 

If you wish to achieve financial independence, for example, save and invest a portion of your income every month without exception. In fact, this is known as a no-exceptions policy. Building successful habits means being consistent in your actions because habits, good or bad, determine your future. Similarly, if you desire longevity, then you must exercise and consume healthy food.

Developing good habits takes time, however, once you've adopted a new habit, it becomes a part of your whole new behavior. The first step to making a positive change in your life is to identify your bad habits. Bad habits disrupt your personal balance and significantly lower the quality of your life. Some of them can be: being late to meetings, not setting clear goals, working long hours without taking breaks, eating fast food at irregular times of the day, procrastinating, being reachable by phone at all times, micromanaging, etc. 

The next step is to define a new habit that you would like to develop. The best way to achieve that is to focus on the benefits of altering your behavior. 

The final step is to develop a three-part action plan. Identify three actions that you can take in order to be able to develop your new habit. For example, if you wish to stop smoking, the actions you could take are reading literature about the dangers of smoking, taking up a new sport/activity, or trying hypnosis therapy.

“You must invest most of your time every week doing what you do best, and let others do what they do best.”

Time is precious, so it's vitally important to spend it on doing the things you do best. When you devote your time and your energy to them, you can realize your full potential. Focus on developing your strengths because your biggest rewards in life will come from your areas of brilliance. 

To discover the areas in which you excel, think about your workweek and write down the activities on which you spend time. If the number is too high, it means that you aren't prioritizing your strengths. Moreover, you will get a real idea of how you spend your time during one week. The next step is to identify three areas in your business in which you are brilliant, and think about how much time you spend doing them. The higher the percentage, the more successful you are. 

In numerous cases, especially when your business is expanding, the smartest thing to do is get help. It's worth noting that the person you choose should not be a copy of yourself, but a person who possesses complementary skills and qualities. The person you hire to assist you with various tasks will help you implement the habit of Priority Focus, which can also be implemented in your personal life. The result will be spending more quality time with the people you care about. 

The Priority Focus follows a 4-D Formula, which consists of the following steps: (1) Dump It, (2) Delegate It, (3) Defer It, and (4) Do It. It is clear that to remain focused on important professional and personal matters, decide which activities you can refuse to engage in, which you can assign to other people, which you can postpone for later, and which you need to do right away.

“A goal is the ongoing pursuit of a worthy objective until accomplished.”

Sometimes taking a step back can help us move forward faster. Taking time to pause and to reflect is critically important to see our future with greater clarity. Visualizing the future we desire is the first step to achieving it. The habit of unusual clarity will make your goal-setting process much easier and it will bring you closer to making your dreams come true. 

When you formulate your goals, keep in mind that the goals you set must be your own, they must be meaningful, specific, flexible, challenging, well-balanced, realistic, supported, in alignment with your values, and they must include contribution. 

Useful questions that you can ask yourself when deciding on your priorities and setting goals are: "What do I want to do? What do I want to become? How do I want to spend my time?"

Make sure to set goals that are important both for your professional and your personal life because balance is key for a fulfilled life.

“When you are truly alert, you are more conscious of what is going on.”

Enjoying a well-balanced life seems like an unattainable goal for many. More often than not people sacrifice their leisure time for completing various tasks at the office, at the same time being oblivious to the fact that soon they will experience a terrible burnout. 

To prevent that from happening, you should use the B-ALERT system every day. Every letter of the acronym stands for an essential element of creating a balanced life. 

“B” stands for “blueprint.” Unsurprisingly, it represents a plan for your day, which you can make the previous night, or early in the morning. This is the time to focus on your most important activities and review your calendar for appointments. 

“A” is for “action,” which you take in order to come closer to accomplishing a specific goal. To ensure productivity and success, focus on activities that yield the greatest results.

“L” stands for “learning” because it is crucial to spend time learning new skills and expanding your horizons. Focus on reading biographies of successful people, motivational books, watch documentaries, and remember to learn from your own successes and failures. 

“E” is for “exercise” because, in order to realize your full potential and lead a balanced life, you must pay attention to your physical health. There are numerous benefits from exercise: more energy, less anxiety, longevity, quality sleep, etc.

“R” is for “relaxing” because the recovery period is vital for a healthy life. Take naps when you can because they are great for energy renewal. 

“T” stands for “thinking,” which is reflective thinking, aimed at assessing your progress during the day. It opens the door for learning from mistakes and developing new good habits.

“The world responds to those who ask.”

Unlike children, adults often feel uncomfortable asking for what they want. There are different reasons for their reluctance to do so, such as lack of confidence, fear of rejection, or the notion that it's not appropriate to ask for things. By overcoming these self-imposed obstacles, you'll be able to boost your business in several ways.

First and foremost, ask for information, especially from new or potential clients in order to learn their challenges, problems, and goals. Instead of guessing, muster up the courage to ask for and receive the correct information. 

The second way to boost your business is to simply ask for business. Next, testimonials, or written endorsements, from satisfied clients can go a long way towards finding new clients and expanding your business. Remember to ask for top-quality referrals because they are a crucial segment in a company's marketing strategy to boost its business. 

Another important aspect of your business expansion is the power and the practice of negotiation. Your negotiating skills may play a vital role in saving your company money. Finally, always ask for feedback because it is an excellent way to improve the services or the products you offer. Whenever you ask for anything, do it clearly, confidently, and honestly.