Focus

One Thing

Life is less complicated when there is one key to success or one thing that causes a negative result. We can focus on the one thing and either amplify or suppress its consequence. But rarely does one thing take the headline and all the influence on results. For example, if we can prevent lightning from striking forests, then all wildland fires would cease. If all planes had parachutes, there would never be another aviation disaster. If all athletes were tested daily, then no one would be seduced to take performance-enhancing drugs. If all roads were one-way, head-on vehicle accidents would cease to exist.

All these statements feel suitable at first read, but reality is more complex. Nature and human behavior have demonstrated that evolution and adaptation happen, and new events take their place.

Are you focusing on one thing that will guarantee success or avoid disaster? If so, are you sure that one thing is everything?

New Start

Has a fresh start completely changed your mindset and the outcomes surrounding your actions? Head out on a bike ride with a rear tire that shows signs of significant wear, and we get a flat tire immediately; it can feel deflating (pun intended). Returning to the starting point, we change the tire and tube to place the wheel back in functional condition. We head off with greater certainty that our ride will be free from mechanical failures. Our mindset can focus on the activity of riding instead of the fifty-fifty chance our tire will not survive the ride.

Fresh starts are magical; they do not take up a lot of energy to alter our mindset. How might we use a new calendar year to reset our patterns, assumptions, and behaviors? What might we focus on when we remove some of the most prominent distractions?

Staying In Your Lane?
Image Credit

In meteorological recorded history, hurricanes and tropical cyclones have not crossed the equator. There is a distinct gap between their documented paths.

What is the gap between your enterprise’s work and those of partners and affiliates? Is the unique land of travel discussed, reviewed, and confirmed? Would it benefit from generative conversation, or does tradition dictate perceived autonomy? Is your cause’s lane of travel yours, or has nobody else attempted to merge onto the route? What if everything merged tomorrow? What if a barrier forced an even wider gap?

Presence

This napkin remained in a hotel stairway for the five days I stayed on the property. It served as a proxy for my observations about the presence of hotel staff in this stairwell and/or their attention to detail. I am not sure whose job specifically details the cleanliness of the common space, but this area was either not routinely inspected, or nobody thought it was their responsibility. I picked up the napkin on my final exit, the litter signifying more than a discarded piece of paper.

What items in your cause await somebody’s notice and action? For a significant case study, see the story behind LaGuardia Airport. It transformed from one of the worst airports to one of the best terminals, but it took $8 billion because nobody acted for decades.

External Factors

External factors such as temperature, audience participation, number of donations, frequency of communication, and reception might change our mindset. A sunny trail run that hits a pocket of wintery mix might turn from an enjoyable exploration to a survival event. We might exchange our core question, from where to go, to how to get back to the trailhead. How might we prepare for external factors to alter our focus? A bear encounter during a camping trip might put us on heightened alert, but a fantastic sunset overlooking a mountain lake might be the most tranquil moment of our year.

Secondary Issues

When I trail run with my wonder dog, we occasionally encounter thunder and lightning storms, such as the one building in the background of the above photo. The storm arrived twenty minutes after this picture as we began our descent back towards the trailhead. My mountain canine is not a fan of thunder, and her allegiance to me is quickly tested when it rumbles across the mountains. She considers her option of heading directly back to the car, leaving me to navigate on my own. She always stays close, but I can see the panic in her thought process. No matter my words of assurance, she is fixated on the noise. I, however, spend time evaluating the proximity of the lightning. I am well aware that lightning is the primary threat to our well-being. When we stopped in a dense section of forest to allow the lightning to move out of our location, my running companion thinks it is a poor choice because the noise is still audible.

How might we confirm that we are focused on the right challenges and opportunities? The loudest noise might not be the best area for our focus.