Where’s Your Focus?
‘We can always choose to perceive things differently. We can focus on what’s wrong in our life, or we can focus on what’s right.’ Marianne Williamson
Where does your focus tend to be? Making good choices about what we focus on has a powerful impact on the results we get. Have you ever got up in the morning, had one or two things go wrong early on, and ended up having a ‘bad day’? When we notice the things that go wrong, and invest energy in dwelling on them, our minds tend to seek more instances of the same thing. We generalise about the experience that we’re having, and then we end up with a ‘bad day’. This is all to do with powerful neurological filtering that takes place outside of our conscious awareness.
Have you ever thought about changing your car? I’ll bet that as you began to consider different car models, you suddenly began to notice them everywhere – am I right? How does that happen? Well, the cars were there all along. By giving mental attention to a particular model of car, you programmed your mind to filter for it – to notice it – and so suddenly you noticed what had been there all along.
This example has profound implications when you consider where you place your focus day to day. If you spend your time and energy noticing what is not working, you are programming your mind to notice more of it. Conversely, if you focus on what is pleasing to you, you’ll get more of it. Both aspects of life are there all the time; it’s where you place your focus that counts.
Businesses and organisations have a special responsibility to consider the consequences of this concept. Most organisations have an internal focus on fixing the parts of the business that aren’t working properly. This problem focus will actually feed the creation of problems to solve. By contrast, ‘outcome oriented’ businesses focus on what is working well, and how to create more of it. This internal focus creates more success.
Pay attention to where you place your focus, and the results you experience as a consequence. As we say in coaching, ‘energy flows where attention goes, and results show’.
Tags: business coaching, coaching, goal setting, neuro linguistic programming, NLP, outcome orientation
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About Kate Warren
Kate Warren is the founder of Brightlife. She is a leader in the field of personal and professional development, and is a sought-after speaker, teacher, and coach. Kate is passionate about helping people to unlock their personal and professional potential. She is an NLP Master Practitioner, a Certified NLP Coach, a Master of Group Leadership Dynamics, and the U.K.'s first certified WealthyMind™ trainer. In 2008 her business success was recognised when she was invited to join ‘Courvoisier the Future 500’, an elite group of the 500 rising stars of British business.
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Courvoisier The Future 500 is an exclusive member's network of the country's most innovative business brains and creative talent. Being awarded a place shows dedication and commercial success.