You might understand how excited I am every time I receive a letter or email message from one of you telling me of the success you are enjoying by living the ten strategies from my books and keynote speeches. Thanks to each of you! Also, please forward these e-Course lessons to your friends and business colleagues, if you think they can benefit from the lessons.

This lesson is on Strategy #6. If you did not receive the first five strategies, you can view them by clicking on links at the end of the lesson.

Stay Focused!

Success requires concentration and focus on our vision, priorities, and goals. However, ours is a time of shrinking concentration spans and less focus. Why are people focusing less now than before? I asked a cross-section of business people what they thought. Following are some of their answers regarding their opinions of reasons for less concentration and shorter attention spans:

• There are so many communication devices that interrupt a person's time. We have cell phones, pagers, call waiting, Internet instant messages, etc.
  
  
• We are constantly rushing for one activity to another, without a moment in between. This does not allow for periods of exploration in the woods, fishing, taking a walk, or just concentration.
  
  
• In our hurry-up world of fragmented communications, we have become accustomed to multi-tasking.
  
  
• The invention of the television remote control has enabled us to shorten our attention span.

Since we live in a fast-paced, hurry-up world, multi-tasking and getting things done fast are necessities of life. However, when we are working on a major goal, we need to set aside time just to focus on that goal.

Alexander Hamilton once said, "Men give me credit for genius. All the genius I have lies in this: When I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night, it is before me. I explore it in all its bearings. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then … people are pleased to call [the effort that I made] the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought." To this statement, I add that it is also the fruit of focus and concentration.

In today's complicated world, multiple distractions vie for our attention at any given time. The way in which we deal with these distractions determines how well we are able to focus on our goals and priorities. If you will take the time during the next 24 hours to observe how you handle distractions, you might have some surprises. During this time period, write each distraction as it occurs. After recording a distraction on paper, write a comment on how you handled this distraction. At the end of the 24 hours, review your notes, observe any patterns that may exist, congratulate yourself for the times that you handled the distraction well, and determine where you can make some improvements.

Following are some methods that successful people use to handle distractions:

• Set aside quiet time during the day to focus on your top priorities or action steps. During these quiet times, stay away from the telephone and other sources of interruption, allowing interruptions for emergencies only.
• Decrease the stress in your body and your mind by practicing relaxation exercises before you start focusing on a priority or action step.
• Keep a piece of paper and a pen at hand while you are concentrating on a project or task. When an unrelated thought enters your mind, write it down. These thoughts can be reviewed at a later time.
• Periodically during the next month, repeat the exercise of recording your distractions and the methods that you use to deal with them. Note the progress that you are making in this area.

Before the 1993 Superbowl, Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson gave his team a pep talk. He told them that, if he laid a two-by-four plank on the floor, each of them would walk across it and not fall. The reason for this would be that their focus would be on walking the plank. "But if I put the same two-by-four ten stories high between two buildings," said Johnson, "only a few would make it." This would be because the focus would be on falling. He told his team not to focus on the crowd, the media, or the possibility of losing. Instead, they were to focus on each play of the game, just as if it were a good practice session. The Dallas Cowboys won the game 52 to 17.

If we focus on winning, we will win. If we focus on accomplishing our goals, we will accomplish our goals. If we focus on success, we will be successful.

The key is to focus.

© 2005 Joan Eleanor Gustafson, Success and Leadership Dynamics

Although this e-course lesson is copyrighted, we encourage you to forward an unaltered version of it to your friends, with the above copyright.

The next lesson in this e-course will be "Remain Positive, No Matter What!"

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New Book by Joan Eleanor Gustafson - Success Strategies for College and Beyond

If you have ever thought you might need a formula for success in life, this book is for you. The strategies and action steps in this book have been used by thousands of business professionals, students, and athletes who are now enjoying more success than they had ever thought possible. Although the book was written primarily for college students, the strategies work for anyone.

Based on the ten strategies from this e-Course, this book contains much more information in the form of examples and action steps. The formula for success really works! For more information, click on http://leaderdynamics.com/ssfcab.htm.

How to Get More Clients
If you are self-employed, this teleclass is for you. It is on June 7, there are only 248 spots available, and they are bound to fill up fast. Michael Port's teleclasses on "how to get more clients" always sell-out and get rave reviews to boot.

You'll get quick and easy step-by-step "Book Yourself Solid" client-generating, profit-producing strategies LIVE and DIRECT from Michael Port.

If you can't make the live call, go ahead and register anyway, and he'll send you a replay link!

Just click this link to sign up: http://tinyurl.com/8bee9.

Audiobook - A Woman Can Do That! 10 Strategies for Creating Success in Your Life
This audiobook is not for women only! If you truly want to be more successful in your business and in your life, this book is for you. The audiobook, which is recorded on five CDs, contains about five hours and 34 minutes of listening.

The audiobook sells in the bookstores for $34.95; however, for a limited time, it is available at http://leaderdynamics.com/order.html for only $29.95. AND when you order the audiobook, you will receive the "paper" copy of the book FREE. As always, shipping and handling are free.

I wish you much success!

Joan Eleanor Gustafson

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