FOCUS

No--not the car. Sometimes, I feel that is the only thing I know about focus, too. I have learned a thing or two about regaining focus. One thing I have learned is it seems to always feel like a major event. When I feel unfocused, it feels like my whole world is out of focus. I feel "out of sorts" and have a difficult time getting my head back on what I need to be thinking about.

Something else I have learned about focus is that sometimes you need someone else to help you regain focus. There is no shame in that. I have a friend who knows my passion for consulting. I was "out of focus," and it had become obvious to him. He started telling me that he was having problems with his business, and I kicked into high gear to help. When I did, it was like everything else came back to me. I can just picture myself as a manual transmission car that we were pushing, and when he gave me the "scenario," it was like me "popping the clutch." I was running again!

You need to have someone who knows your professional passion. They need to know what helps you get back into gear. Talk to them and let them know that you may need them occasionally. Tell them what they can do to help you. This is you giving them permission to get involved when they see you may not be performing at your full potential. When you regain focus, look back on the experience. What did you learn from it? What caused you to lose focus? Were you spending too much time away from your passion? Were you spending too much time ON your passion? There should be a healthy balance between focus on professional passion and your personal life. We must have down time. Just as when a camera will not focus because there is too much in the focus zone for it to determine what you want to focus on, we need to give our bodies an opportunity to focus on what it needs to be focusing on. Step away and be sure you are giving enough time to yourself. There is no value in an out of focus picture, so be sure your personal and professional life is "in focus."