Focus is, in my opinion, an under appreciated value today. Not in a general or short term sense, but in a long term context. Many people today are living their lives on a day-to-day basis. They wake up and follow the same routine, go to work, and have the same day as they did before. Perhaps due to different circumstances, these people are running on a hamster wheel without thinking enough about the big picture. Many of them could think of two or three reasons why they’re unhappy. A huge factor in this is their lack of focus, specifically on the things that they want.

The Law of Attraction

I’m sure that you’ve heard of the law of attraction before. Recently, I’ve been reflecting on this somewhat general principle. I’ve heard about it many times from many people throughout my life. The law of attraction suggests that the thoughts you entertain have an impact on your desired (or undesired) outcomes. If I were to define this law in my own words, I would say the following:

“What you focus on, you attract.”

Now I’m definitely not the first person to state it that way, but that’s what the law of attraction means to me. If you want to experience health, wealth, and abundance in life, focusing on what that looks like to you is vital to making it happen.

Start With a Vision

So how does one actually focus? Well first, there must be a vision. A few weeks ago I wrote an article about vision, and I think that article serves as a great foundation to this one. If you haven’t read it yet, I’d recommend that you do so before continuing. Click here for a quick read.

In order to focus, you must have something to focus on. This can be applied in the short, medium, and long terms. Say for instance you are going to write a report for a class you’re taking. You will want to allocate some level of focus on completing that paper in order to earn your desired grade. It may take three or four hours of dedicated focus to complete the report, but by shifting your attention, focusing on the goal, and taking action in alignment with that goal you can (and will) write a great report.

But that’s the short term. Most people are quite capable of doing something like that and they do so every day.

An example of focus in the medium term could be paying your rent for the month. Over the course of 30 days or so, you’ll focus on making the right choices to meet your financial goals and pay your rent. Anyone with a reasonable sense of responsibility will be sure to go to work every day, save up, and budget accordingly to make their monthly rent payment.

The focus I’m aiming to discuss is long term focus. What are some objectives that you’d like to accomplish in the next 12 months? How about in five years? What do you want to have achieved in ten years? These are things that must be clearly established.

So many people are living the same day over and over without a real picture of what they want their future to look like. They may have a vague idea. Career advancement, home ownership, and plans for a family are all things that people consider, but how much do they really focus on them? How clear are they on what they want?

Write Down Your Goals

When I was in high school, every year they would invite a military veteran to speak to the student body on Veteran’s Day. One year the school invited a retired US Army officer to speak to us. I can’t say that I remember too much of what he said, and I can’t quite remember his name either, but one thing that he said has stuck with me to this day: “write down your goals.”

I remember hearing that and sort of dismissing it, thinking that I had it all figured out and that my goals were fine just floating around loosely in my mind. Years later, I came to realize that he had given me and my classmates some of the best advice anyone was giving us at the time.

Like I said, in order to focus, you must have something to focus on. It needs to be a vivid image. So in order to focus and practice the law of attraction you first need a vision. Spend some time figuring out what that is. Write it down. Don’t feel too pressured to have all the answers. Your vision can (and probably will) grow and change over time. As long as you have two or three specific elements to your vision, you’re on the right track.

Focus

Once you’ve established the vision, you must direct all of your focus into manifesting that vision. Review and reflect upon your vision (goals) every day. Write them down over and over. Create a vision board. Make it clear to yourself what you want. If you spend only ten minutes every day focusing on your vision, in one year you’ll have spent over 60 hours focusing on (and attracting) what you want.

By placing your vision at the front of your mind at least once or twice every day, you’ll naturally feel more motivated to take the steps necessary to make it happen. With minimal effort, you can draw yourself 1% closer to that vision every day. Much of your progress won’t simply happen overnight, but by keeping yourself focused and motivated, you’ll have a much easier time staying on task and obtaining your desired outcomes.

Make focus a daily habit.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. What are some elements of your vision? How often are you actually focusing on them? What is one thing you could do this weekend to get one step closer to that vision?

Read more interesting articles on my blog.

Photo Credits: Unsplash.