You're Out of Focus

Zoom in, Don't Zoom Out!

Subject: Fear, Success, Motivation, Focus

By Victor Antonio

When you think about people who are always complaining about they don’t have, you have to wonder if part of the problem isn’t their own.  Action is the first step towards success.  But most people don’t get ever get started toward their dream and I believe it’s because they talk themselves out of it. Yes, they talk themselves out of being successful.

Let say for example you’ve finally figured out what it is you want to do with your life.  Lightning finally struck and you have a clear vision of who and what you want to be.  Hallelujah! (You hear the Gregorian Chant in the Back)   Now, you’re excited and it’s time to get your Southside into gear if you want to reach the Northside called success.

But, you hesitate.  After the euphoria of your grand discovery subsides you begin to think about what it will take to accomplish the feat.  You start thinking about all the things that can go wrong.  You start bringing in the past by recalling the time you failed and in doing so you start to get a little scared.  You fast-forward that mental videotape in your head and you begin to think of all the work it's going to take.  Next thing you know that hesitation starts to morph into doubt.  You start wondering if this is really what you want to do.  You call into question your commitment.  Your mind now seems more focused on what could go wrong instead of what could go right.   BAM!   You're out of focus!

A vision you once held clearly in your mind now seems blurry.  You are now out of focus.  It happens when you ZOOM OUT and bring in subjects that have nothing to do with your new vision. 

Here are four examples of what happens when you go out of focus and I’ve added strategies for ‘refocusing’.

1)      Instead of visualizing yourself doing what you would love to do, you start seeing all the work involved in executing the plan.  You start thinking about all the little things that need to get done and you begin to feel overwhelmed.

Refocus: Success involves a lot of work.  If it didn’t everyone would be doing it.  Think of starting a business or a new career like a plane taking off.  Once the plane reaches it’s cruising altitude it uses up less fuel.  Most of its efforts are exerted when taking off; success is no different.  Once you achieve a certain altitude it becomes that much easier.  All start up work is hard and lengthy.  But you have to keep your eye on the long term prize.  So the real question comes down to this, you can work hard for a few years and then pull back once you’ve achieve your success altitude or you can work hard all your life struggling to get off the ground.   It’s your choice.

2)      Instead of thinking about the financial freedom you’ll have, you start thinking about how much everything is going to cost you from start to finish.

Refocus: Money does matter.  Money is essential.  But it takes money to make money.  You have to be prepared to spend (invest) if you really want to achieve success.  If you focus on the cost upfront, you’ll lose site of the upside potential of how much you can make in the future.   Keep in mind that you have the reins in your hand and that you can determining how fast you want to ‘move’.  If you don’t have a lot of money to spend up front, spend what you can...responsibly.  Look for ways to barter your skills in exchange for something you may need.  Get a part-time job in the field you want to go into and learn for FREE.  Be creative.  Refocus on what you can do with little or no money.  Remember, it’s not what you do with what you have, it’s what you do with what you DON’T have that will separate your from the others.

3)      Instead of feeling a sense of control over your future (destiny), you fixate on what happens if you have to go back to work and get a job.

Refocus:  In the pursuit of a dream, security is the first casualty.  Going after the dream requires you to take risks.  But there are foolish risks and measured risks.   The latter is a better approach.  There are many people in corporate America today who are wholly dissatisfied with what they’re doing.  They complain and whine about their job year after year.  Don’t let that be you.  You have a choice, you can whine (about the present) or you can define your future.   If you try something and it doesn’t work, and you have to go back to a ‘job’, at least you tried!  Failure is the handmaiden of success.  Wayne Gretzky the hockey player cleverly said, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”  Will Rogers would’ve been proud of the simple, yet elegant truth offered by Gretsky.   How many shots have you taken lately?

4)      Instead of internalizing how satisfying your life will be, you think about the cost of the dream and ask yourself if it’s really worth it.

Refocus: If I asked you to tell me what lay around the corner, you would probably tell me that you don’t have “around-the-corner” vision.  The only way to see what’s around the corner is to walk the distance and look for yourself.  Success cannot be seen (nor felt) from where you stand.  You have to take the necessary steps to see around the corner of opportunity.  You won’t know if it’s really worth until you walk to the corner yourself.  You can’t foresee if you will like something, until you actually try it.   Only then will you know if the blood, sweat and tears was really worth it.  I have a feeling that if you found your passion and you invested all of you into the effort, you would not be disappointed.  Walk to the corner…stop guessing if it’s worth it.

Most people never get started, even when they think they know what they want, because they talk themselves out of it.  Cut it out!  Stop superimposing what you “think” will happen and get in the game and see what happens.  Don’t expect failure, but welcome success.  Obstacles are inconveniences to be dealt with expeditiously.  Don’t go negative; stay positive.  Leave past failures where they belong, in the past.  

Don’t go out of focus by distorting what could very well be a great future for yourself.  Use your mental Zoom Button to focus on what is necessary to be effective in bringing about your success.

And finally, don’t create a doom self-fulfilling prophecy by seeing failure in everything you do BEFORE you get started.  If you think wrong, you’ll go wrong.  A friend of mine once told me, “There are no wrong decisions, you just have to make it work.”  Damn I love that saying!  

Please share this article with a friend who may need a word of inspiration.

Copyright © 2005 by Victor Antonio   All rights reserved.  This article MAY be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, as long as the author’s name, website and email address are included as part of the article’s body.  All inquiries, including information on electronic licensing, should be directed to Victor Antonio.