Focus to Succeed

By Cheryl Bishop (As seen in the April issue of the APeeling Digital Magazine)

As seen in the APeeling Magazine April 2020 Issue

Do you get distracted by shiny objects?

Many business owners do! While it’s fun to get busy working on projects we believe should be done, sometimes they aren’t really what you should be doing! If you are busy doing different projects in efforts to grow your business, you should always ask yourself these questions:

What is the one thing driving my business and what am I doing to drive it further?

Is doing this project going to lead to things I really want and need to get done?

Why am I doing what I am doing?

If you answered ‘no’ or ‘I don’t know’ to any of the above questions, then you will not be able to become truly focused on where you need to go. It’s important to keep asking until you get a clear answer or ‘yes’ to all the questions so you can easily recognize the one thing which you need to get done.

That last question is one that too many business owners don’t take the time to ask themselves.

When you know why you are doing your business then every project, every activity, every meeting and decision should evolve around that ‘why’, fully understanding it is supporting your business goals. When you get clear on your why, then you can become a lot more focused and clearer on what you need to get done. Reminding yourself of why you are doing your business will assist you on getting what needs to get done… as long as your why is heartfelt and deep for you.

If your why is surface, for example you just want to make money, then you may not be able to stay focused when times get tough or when challenges arise. Trust me all businesses go through challenges at every level of success. Your why you are doing your business really should be about others. For example, my why for creating Resilient Women In Business is because it pains my heart to see so many women in business struggle. Often it is because they are only coming from one place or a thousand places on what they feel needs to get done.

Women struggle because they are either not clear on their business or they are not passionate enough about their business. Another reason they struggle is because they don’t understand business. They have not developed the necessary skills. When you are a business owner you need to get things done to ensure your business is successful.

Things do not happen by chance!

Your thoughts need to be in control and be calm so you can focus. I have learnt to filter the noise in my thoughts so that I can focus quickly and efficiently on what needs to be addressed and get done. Honestly, I don’t want to waste time thinking about the thousands of choices I could make when the choice I make is good enough. Especially today, there is so much information on the Internet. You can spend hours, days searching on what you should do or looking for new ideas.

One of the reasons I created the Resilient Women In Business Mastermind groups is to support women on their focus so they can gain clarity on their business and ultimately increase their revenue. The only thing that no one in the history of the world has learned to make more of is… time.

Without managing your time anything you do, no matter the size or importance, can cause you to fall victim of not having enough time. I had to learn to filter my projects by prioritizing the time I had available to me, not the time I dreamed I had, to get through the day, week, month, and year. Sometimes there are projects that get delayed due to more pressing priorities I need to tend to.

Creating a priority list each day, week and month will assist you in becoming more focused on what you need to get done. You may realize as you evolve in your focus that things you thought you should do will not get you the results you thought. You might then completely cross it off your list. The key to focusing on your revenue/income for you and your business is asking yourself this question every time you are doing something:

“Is this activity I am doing right now an income generating activity?”

If the answer is ‘no’ then move onto something that is. I will leave you with this: Anytime you want to create a new habit for yourself, start using a calendar such as Outlook. Since I have used my Outlook calendar to ensure I stay on target for what I need to get done, it has increased my sense of focus and has assisted me on getting the tasks done. It has also assisted me to say ‘no’ to things that are not in line with what I need to achieve.

I wish you all the success.

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Cheryl Bishop, Founder of Resilient Women In Business