Focus

"Focus is the concentration of attention to the exclusion of all else. It means putting everything you have into what you're doing at this very second—whether it's on work, training, nutrition, a friend or loved one. When you're focused, you're not thinking about the past or future. Nothing else enters your mind." ~ Shawn Phillips from Strength for Life

Ahh... Focus.

Do you have the ability to concentrate all of your energy on the moment? Whether that means giving your full attention to your spouse or child or task at work or rep at the gym—nothing, dare I say, is more important than our ability to shift our focus at will.

Here's some more wisdom from Shawn Phillips' great book, Strength for Life:

"Perhaps more than any other factor, it is the mastery of your focus—which precedes mastery of your energy—that separates the average performers from the peak performers in life. The freedom to place your focused attention where you want it, when you want it, offers a competitive advantage in a world where the average attention span is measured in seconds, not minutes. It's precisely the skill that has so many high profile leaders adopting meditation practices. Steve Jobs of Apple, music icons Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, Oprah, Bill Ford of Ford Motor Co., and the Clintons are a few of the prominent names that belong to the rapidly growing population of Americans—currently reported to be more than 20 million—who have embraced the practice of meditation."

"Concentrate all your thoughts on the task at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus." ~ Alexander Graham Belle

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