The Power of Focus Tenth Anniversary Edition

1. Develop Successful Habits to Shape Your Future

"Successful people have successful habits. Unsuccessful People Don't!"

Habits define your future. Your daily routines and behaviors, repeated over time, become the foundation of your success or failure. Successful people consistently practice habits that propel them forward, while unsuccessful individuals often fall into patterns that hinder their progress.

Identify and change bad habits. To improve your life, start by recognizing unproductive behaviors. Common bad habits include:

• Procrastination
• Poor time management
• Negative self-talk
• Neglecting health and relationships

Once identified, replace these habits with positive ones using the Successful Habits Formula:

1. Clearly define the unproductive habit
2. Create a new, successful habit to replace it
3. Develop a three-part action plan to implement the change

Consistency is key. Changing habits takes time and effort. Commit to practicing your new habits daily, even when it's challenging. Over time, these behaviors will become automatic, leading to lasting positive changes in your life and career.

2. Focus on Your Strengths and Delegate Weaknesses

"If you spend too much time working on your weaknesses, all you end up with is a lot of strong weaknesses!"

Identify your areas of brilliance. These are activities you perform effortlessly and that produce the greatest results for your business or career. Spend the majority of your time focusing on these strengths to maximize your productivity and income.

Delegate or outsource weaknesses. Instead of struggling with tasks you're not good at or don't enjoy, find others who excel in those areas. This allows you to concentrate on what you do best while ensuring all aspects of your work are handled efficiently.

Implement the Priority Focus Workshop:

1. List all your business activities
2. Identify your three most brilliant skills
3. Determine the three most important income-generating activities
4. Recognize three activities you're weak at or dislike
5. Find people who can handle those tasks for you
6. Choose one time-consuming activity to delegate immediately

By focusing on your strengths and delegating weaknesses, you'll significantly increase your productivity and job satisfaction.

3. Set Clear Goals and Visualize Your Success

"See it—Believe it—Achieve it!"

Develop unusual clarity. Create a vivid, detailed picture of your desired future. This clarity will guide your decisions and actions, helping you stay focused on what truly matters.

Use the Top-10 Goals Checklist:

1. Ensure goals are yours, not someone else's
2. Make them meaningful and specific
3. Set challenging yet realistic targets
4. Align goals with your core values
5. Balance different areas of your life
6. Include contribution to society
7. Seek support from others

Visualize success daily. Create a vision board or digital presentation with images and statements representing your goals. Review this regularly to reinforce your desires and keep them at the forefront of your mind.

Create a master plan. Write down your goals for the next five years, prioritize them, and break them into one-year, three-year, and five-year targets. Regularly review and adjust your plan as needed to stay on track.

4. Overcome Setbacks with a Champion Mindset

"It's not what happens to you, it's what you do about it that counts."

Cultivate resilience. Setbacks are inevitable in life and business. Develop the ability to bounce back quickly from adversity by focusing on solutions rather than dwelling on problems.

Strategies for overcoming setbacks:

• Recognize you're in a slump and take time to regroup
• Remind yourself of past accomplishments
• Return to basics and focus on fundamentals
• Seek support from mentors and trusted advisors
• Break challenges into smaller, manageable steps

Prepare for economic downturns. Build financial reserves, diversify income streams, and stay alert to market changes. During tough times, focus on opportunities rather than participating in negative rhetoric.

Embrace the challenge. View setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning. Maintain a "bring-it-on" attitude, knowing that overcoming obstacles will make you stronger and more capable in the long run.

5. Build Excellent Relationships for Long-Term Success

"When you are in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude."

Understand the Double Spiral. Relationships can spiral upward or downward based on your actions and attitudes. Consciously choose behaviors that strengthen connections and avoid those that erode trust.

Implement the Three Big Questions. Before entering into important relationships, ask yourself:

1. Do I like them?
2. Do I trust them?
3. Do I respect them?

If you answer "no" to any of these questions, reconsider the relationship.

Practice win-win thinking. Approach relationships with a genuine concern for mutual benefit. Make "deposits" in your relationship "bank accounts" by consistently adding value and showing appreciation for others.

Build a support network. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people who challenge you to grow. Seek out mentors in areas where you want to improve, and be willing to learn from their experience and wisdom.

6. Boost Your Confidence Through Consistent Action

"Confidence grows by doing, not by thinking."

Take action to build confidence. Instead of waiting to feel confident before acting, take small steps forward. Each successful action will reinforce your belief in your abilities and increase your confidence.

Strategies for boosting confidence:

• Remind yourself daily of things you've done well
• Read inspiring biographies and success stories
• Practice gratitude for what you have
• Build a strong support network
• Set and accomplish short-term goals
• Celebrate small victories

Overcome limiting beliefs. Identify and challenge negative thoughts about your capabilities. Replace them with positive, empowering beliefs that support your success.

Develop a champion mindset. View challenges as contests to be won rather than obstacles to avoid. Cultivate a "bring-it-on" attitude that welcomes difficulties as opportunities for growth and achievement.

7. Ask for What You Want to Achieve Greater Results

"The world responds to those who ask."

Overcome fear of asking. Many people miss opportunities because they're afraid to ask. Remember, the worst that can happen is hearing "no," which leaves you no worse off than before.

Seven ways to boost your business by asking:

1. Ask for information to understand client needs
2. Ask for the sale / business
3. Request written endorsements from satisfied clients
4. Seek quality referrals from your network
5. Ask for more business from existing clients
6. Renegotiate terms when necessary
7. Ask for feedback to improve your products/services

How to ask effectively:

• Be clear and specific in your requests
• Ask with confidence and conviction
• Ask consistently, knowing that persistence pays off
• Be creative in your approach to stand out
• Ask sincerely, showing genuine interest in others

Develop the habit of asking for what you want in all areas of life. You'll be surprised at how often people are willing to help when you simply make the request.

8. Persist Consistently to Reach Your Goals

"Success is often just around the corner."

Embrace consistent persistence. Achieving significant goals requires sustained effort over time. Develop the habit of taking consistent action toward your objectives, even when progress seems slow.

The Double-A Formula:

1. Agreements: Keep your commitments to yourself and others
2. Accountability: Take responsibility for your actions and results

Choose your actions consciously. Eliminate "have-to" thinking and replace it with "choose-to" language. This shift puts you in a position of power rather than pressure.

The Integrity Factor:

1. Always tell the truth to build trust
2. Do what you say you'll do to earn respect
3. Make others feel special to foster positive relationships

By consistently persisting and maintaining integrity, you'll build a reputation for reliability and increase your chances of long-term success.

9. Take Decisive Action to Create Wealth

"Procrastination is a thief, waiting in disguise to rob you of your hopes and dreams."

Overcome procrastination. Recognize the four main reasons people procrastinate:

1. Boredom
2. Feeling overwhelmed
3. Disliking the work
4. Easily distracted or lazy

Address these issues head-on to break the procrastination habit.

Use the TA-DA Formula for decision-making:

1. Think: Reflect on your options
2. Ask: Gather information and seek advice
3. Decide: Make a firm choice
4. Act: Take immediate action on your decision

Develop wealth-building habits. Focus on creating value in the marketplace and providing excellent service. Invest in your own education and surround yourself with financial mentors.

Basic rules for creating wealth:

• Live below your means and save consistently
• Invest in many different places
• Be patient and think long-term
• Investigate before you invest
• Create value for others

By taking decisive action and following sound financial principles, you can build lasting wealth and achieve financial freedom.

10. Live and Work with a Clear Sense of Purpose

"When you are inspired to do something special you receive a surge of confidence."

Discover your life's purpose. Reflect on what truly energizes you and what you care deeply about. Align your work with your natural talents and passions to create a sense of fulfillment.

Create a personal purpose statement. Distill your life's purpose into a single, powerful sentence that guides your decisions and actions. Review this statement regularly to stay focused on what matters most.

Strategies for living purposefully:

• Align your purpose with your natural abilities
• Stay determined in pursuing your goals
• Maintain a humble attitude
• Make a positive difference in the lives of others
• Continually refine and adjust your purpose as you grow

By living and working with a clear sense of purpose, you'll experience greater motivation, satisfaction, and success in all areas of life.

Last updated: August 3, 2024