It comes as no surprise that as a species, we have evolved to be very visual beings. Our sight could arguably be considered our strongest and most important sense, and is largely responsible for our having survived and thrived for this long on our planet. The ability to detect movement, recognize patterns and colors, and perceive shadows with our eyes it what has allowed us to ultimately succeed as a species.
But there is a different kind of vision – and this is one that helps us survive and succeed in business. This vision describes not our actual ability to physically see with our eyes, but our innate ability to visualize the positive outcome of our actions. Our vision, in this sense, is the ability to consciously choose which direction we go, and how far forward we’ll go, in our business.
Vision is only one piece of the puzzle though. Anyone can have vision – and lots and lots of people from all walks of life do – but seeing that vision blossom into a solid reality is another task entirely. This is a task that requires organization and serious action taking. And the most important skill that you absolutely must have in order to begin turning the vision into reality is focus.
What is focus, exactly? Well, in business, focus is the ability to concentrate on the task at hand, over and over again, in order to arrive at the ultimate end goal. It’s certainly not a task that everyone is born being good at, and for many, it takes practice to be able to focus effectively.
Let’s talk about multi-tasking for just a minute. You would think that the most efficient thinkers and doers are well-versed in multi-tasking, but you’d be wrong. Actually quite the opposite is true. Effective focus means focusing on one thing – one task – until completion, and only when that task is complete, moving on to the next. Multi-tasking is a myth believed by those who have never truly seen the success of true focus.
Now, even though you should be focusing on one thing at a time, you still need to retain the ability to turn on a dime, recognize when that focus needs to be placed elsewhere, and change your focus. This is not multi-tasking. This is prioritizing.
In business, situations can change in a heartbeat. Learning to focus on one thing at a time, but having the ability to change direction quickly, will spell the success of your business!