"Staying Focused"

Listed below are three questions that are sure to bring your life into focus. When you find yourself facing another major task (anything that will require a considerable effort on your part), ask yourself the following three questions:

1. Will this activity or task help me get closer to my goals?

The reason why most students struggle in college is not due to a lack of "know how," but more so a lack of "knowing how" to manage their time and activities. Believe it or not, we've all been given the same amount of time (168 hours a week), from the rich person to the homeless person. The only difference is how we decide to use that time. We can invest it or we can waste it, but the choice is ours.

If you know "why" you're in college, this question should be easy to answer.

Whatever activity you decide to do that requires a significant amount of time should be in close alignment with your purpose and goals for college.

Of course, if you haven't set any goals for college, you will find yourself and your life continuously "out of focus." If the activity you want to do isn't moving you in the direction of your goals, you need to reconsider that particular activity.

2. Is this something I WANT to do or is it something I NEED to do?

Ah, I'm sure you've heard this one before. Needs and wants are not the same thing, and it's critical for you to know the difference if you want to live a more focused life. A want is a wish and a need is a necessity. Allow we to illustrate: I NEED transportation to get back and forth to school, but I WANT a new Mitsubishi Eclipse. I think you get the point. The same concept applies to activities. You must weigh your options when it comes to choosing between tasks and activities. You may WANT to hang out with your friends and go clubbing on Friday night, but you may NEED to study for that Chemistry exam as if your life depended on it.. In his book, "Yes or No," best-selling author Spencer Johnson says, "Truly successful people pursue first what they need, then what they want." Zig Ziglar, another best-selling author and one of the country's best motivational speakers says, "If you do what you have to when you have to, the day will come when you'll be able to do what you want to when you want to."

3. How would the person I'd like to become handle the thing I'm about to do?

Here's how it works. Imagine yourself becoming the person you've always dreamed of becoming. Imagine yourself working in the job you've always wanted to have.

Now take that same person and put them in front of the task, activity, or issue you're facing right now. Then ask yourself, "How would that person do the thing I'm about to do?" Would they even waste time doing it at all?

This is a powerful visualization technique that will save you a lot of time and wasted energy. Challenge yourself, do the thing you're about to do the way the person you'd like to become would do it. Not only will you become more focused, you will become more successful.