Feb 19

The Power of Focus

“Life is like a camera…focus on what’s important, capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don’t work out take another shot”  Anonymous

Lizzie Valsques’ inspiring story provides an excellent example of using the power of focus to define reality. Born with a rare, undiagnosed syndrome, she chooses to focus on the benefits of her circumstances. Lizzie has inspired over 7 million viewers with her Ted Talk “How do you define yourself?” Take a look:

Are you letting others define you? Or are you choosing to focus on your goals, successes, and accomplishments?   When faced with a difficult situation, do you appreciate what is good about the challenge or focus on why it isn’t fair?

Use questions to shift your focus. Some examples include:

• “What else could this mean?”
• “What is good about this?”
• “I’m glad this happened because. …(you fill in the blank)?”
• “Is it true, are there no other explanations for the situation?”
• “If it wasn’t true, what could I believe?”

When you control your focus, you control your life. As Lizzie said, your life is in your hands; you are in the front seat of your car and you decide if you go down a good or bad path. “Why does this always happen to me?” is a question guaranteed to lead you down a bad path. Re-direct your focus with questions that start with “what, who, when, or where”.

Lizzie also recommends using negativity as a source of motivation. When you notice yourself thinking about why something won’t work or other thoughts that lead to procrastination, shift your focus with powerful questions, get excited and take action immediately.  The choice of focus is always yours.