Promise of Being Present & Focused

We’ve all seen it.  Car ahead of us, middle of the day, going side-to-side all over the lane they can’t stay in.  As you quickly pass to get out of the way of the accident this incompetent driver is going to likely cause, you see they are texting on their phone as they drive down the street.

We’ve all done it.  In a business meeting where the topic is becoming a bit on the boring side, we quickly glance down to check our inbox under the table, out of sight of everyone else, when suddenly we are sucked in, unable to tear away from the emails, social media, and photos of family.

We can’t help it.  We begin the day with every intention of completing 3 essential tasks, when suddenly the day has flown by and it’s time to go home, only to realize we haven’t even touched the 3 essential tasks.

How do we stay Present in the moment?  Why is Focus so important?

It is what both keeps us alive as well as determines our level of success!  Lack of focus and getting our job done leads to huge losses in money, disgruntled co-workers, and irate bosses.

As someone who was diagnosed with many attention deficit issues as a young boy, I can tell you my mind is like an MC Escher drawing.  There is so much going on I can’t tell if I’m headed up, down, or upside down.

If I don’t focus at an extreme level, not only will nothing get done, but I will have created 19 new problems to solve and take away my attention.

How do we remain present and focused?  Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way, and I’d love to know what you recommend, or do for yourself.

1. Catch Yourself in the Act – if you find yourself pulling your phone out of your pocket as you drive, catch yourself, put it down, repeat in your mind this isn’t the time.
2. Create Deadlines – there is nothing more helpful in the realm of focus than a deadline, where you must write that blog post by this time, or you have to crank out those videos before it’s too late.  Deadlines are painful, but essential.
3. Surround Yourself with Focused People – the people who work with me are all much more focused than me, and they know their job a lot of the time is to reel me back in, help me stay the course, and not take us in hundreds of different directions with each email.
4. Set Goals & Make Promises – you might set the goal, or create the task, to be accomplished on a certain day of the week every week.  For example, on my calendar I do creative work, videos, and blog posts on Mondays, Tuesday & Thursday are devoted to Sales, marketing and writing, Wednesday is meeting day (business lunches, mentoring others), Friday and Saturday are usually gig days.  On top of all of this are smaller goals like: “I work out to the point of sweating every day” and making that the highest priority.  Therein changes our words from goals to either promise making or promise breaking.
5. Acknowledge & Seek Accountability Partners – if you are like me and easily distracted when playing with your kids, as slowly your phone creeps out and you begin checking emails and status updates while you’re supposed to be focused on LEGOS, then remember #1 Catch Yourself in the Act, and then you must Acknowledge, either out loud or in writing, your promise to remain present and what has distracted you.  From there an Accountability Partner, Coach, or even Therapist, can make a world of difference.

I’m interested in your thoughts, as I’m continuing to work at improving my level of Promise with Presence in the moment, as well as how to FOCUS to such a degree that I accomplish many things in a timely manner.  Please comment below.

~ jason

Jason Hewlett, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, is a Keynote Speaker for the largest corporate events in the world. His primary message, The Promise, is essential for Leadership, Management, Sales, Marketing, Direct-Sales Companies, and is a combination of engagement and entertainment meets inspiration.  Jason has even received standing ovations from IT guys.  He has been acknowledged as life-changing by Conference Attendees, C-Level Executives and Hollywood Elite.  jasonhewlett.com

Please click here to learn about how Jason Hewlett, Speaker Hall of Fame, introduces the opportunity for you, or someone you love, to have the gift of learning how to create a Career From the Stage and begin moving toward fulfilling a lifelong dream as a full-time speaker, performer, or entertainer.