What you focus on grows!

What do you want to see grow in your life and how are you going to focus on it so it happens? What got us thinking about this is that each fall we bring some of our outside plants in the house so they make it over the winter. We noticed that a tiny green spike that was about 10 inches high two years ago, is now over 6 feet tall! We focus on most of our plants with consistent care and maybe the love and talking to them also helps. However, there were a few plants that didn’t even get moved from their little plastic containers into larger pots. We felt bad that they didn’t receive the focus they needed to grow and they withered. We realized that what we focus on grows and what we ignore or even focus on negatively will not produce a desired result.

Focus works in all areas of life, including personal life and work life. It works with health, relationships and finances. Tony Robbins said, ‘Where your focus goes, energy flows.” The concept of focus works to get positive results when you focus on the positives. It also works to keep you from getting the results you desire if you focus on the negatives, the problem and not the solution.

Here’s an example: Many people want to lose some weight. If they focus on the problem, we often hear them saying, “Why can’t I lose weight?” Guess what, their body believes them and they often find they can’t lose weight because they are focusing on the problem, instead of the solution. However, if they focus on the solution to losing weight, they say something like, “What are 3 things I can do to lose weight?” When they focus and take action on those 3 things, they are on their way to losing weight.

What you focus on will also contribute to how you feel and ultimately determine whether you will take action – or not. What is the meaning of your focus? Why does it matter to you? What will happen if you don’t focus on it or if you change your focus about it? For example, in relationships, it may be easy to start taking other people for granted or even being negative about them and the relationship. If you focus on the negatives, the relationship will get worse and you might even decide not to be around them. If you focus on the positives in the relationship and also focus on the solutions for any problems, the relationship can get better, be enjoyable and grow.

It’s important to be clear about what you want to focus on and not let yourself get distracted. Stephen Covey said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.” If you want something to grow, decide what focus you need to have and then take action to make it happen.

We talked to Pam O’Neill and asked her what she focuses on and what she wants to grow in her life. Pam said, “It’s so easy to be absorbed in the electronic world with Facebook and Instagram. I cut off from that. What I would really like to grow this year is focusing on showing love to others, which is what everyone needs, unconditional, whether it be a smile or just going out of my way to do something every day for somebody. What I do when I wake up in the morning and then sit in my prayer chair is, I ask God how He can use me today and He shows me.” We told Pam that when we saw her, she radiated kindness. Pam said, “We can all do something. It brings me joy, too, so it’s a win-win.” We mentioned to Pam that if each of us could have the focus of spreading love and doing something kind for someone else each day, this would certainly contribute to creating a more caring and peaceful world.

Pam decided what she wanted to focus on in her life. How about you? What do you want to focus on and see it grow in your life?

Here are some suggestions: Take time to look at your life and decide what is important to you. What do you want to see grow? Write down your focus goals and why they are important to you. When you have clear focus and defined positive action steps, you’ll see that what you focus on grows!

Chanhassen residents Doug and Lynn Nodland are Success Coaches and owners of The Balance Center. They can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2018 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.