Finding Focus 

What happened to the time? When we are busy in our day-to-day lives, it sometimes seems that whole seasons pass in a blink. And the goals we have…well, they can easily slip by in that blur too. You want to wake-up, get control of your time and meet your goals. But how?

In coaching we sometimes talk about our lives being in process. That is, our lives are constantly flowing like a river, over and around the highs and lows of our everyday experience. As humans we often try to minimize those ups and downs. We plan for the future, we dwell on the past, and thus avoid experiencing the emotion at this present moment. As a result, we dampen our aliveness and sort of zone out. No wonder we suddenly “wake up” to realize minutes, even days or weeks, have passed us by.

Have you ever had the experience of driving a car only to find yourself suddenly at your destination? Where have you been? Not present, that’s for sure! But really, what does it mean to be present in your day-to-day life?

It can be challenging to focus all your attention on the current moment. Try this. As you are reading these words, slow down. Experience the action of reading one word at a time. What sounds do you hear in the room around you? How comfortable are you? How are you breathing? Recognize that you are alive, right now, in this moment. What was that like for you?

Here's another experiment. Go ahead and laugh but try this anyway. It may give you a whole new way to be in the moment. As you go through your day, ask yourself, where’s my butt? On a chair? Against a wall? Walking past a store? Crazy as it may sound it is very difficult not to be present when you're trying to figure out where your butt is!

OK! Now you’ve tried rump-awareness and have probably heard all kinds of other advice for becoming present in the moment such as deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation, etc. Now broaden your approach. How can you stay present and focused for a project or goal in your life?

Select a theme.

My theme for my business this year is “learning and inspired action.” This theme serves a filter. Each month, I review my business goals through the lens of my theme and prioritize those that will be the most fun and give me and my clients the most inspiration. Brainstorming projects to undertake, I look for those that best match my theme. My theme gives me a sense of exploration when choosing new opportunities. A client of mine has a theme for the month of November in regard to her job search, which is Action! Driven by action she has some aggressive goals for landing job interviews. Each step she takes she asks herself, “does this action move me toward my goals?”

What is YOUR theme?