Monday Morning Match is a simple post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
I had been playing very well up to that moment. I was standing on the 9th green of the Ohio State University Scarlet Course and had about 3 feet left for my par which would have given me a 39 on the front nine. As I walked up to “tap it in”, I suddenly lost my focus and missed the short putt and at the same time, missed my chances for my low-front nine score on Scarlet this year. I went on to play miserably on the back nine and, as I finished my round and walked off the 18th green, I looked over at the ninth green and just shook my head. Who knows what might have happened if I had stayed focused and made that putt?
Really bad things could happen if you lose your focus for even a split second if you’re driving a car or operating heavy machinery. The next time you’re having surgery, you are probably putting a lot of faith in your surgeon and the operating staff that they are staying focused on the task at hand. Distractions come in many forms and usually happen so suddenly that you cannot prepare for them. They might cause a lapse in concentration or completely interrupt the activity at hand.
It’s also not so easy to get the focus back after losing it. It might take a few minutes or it could take hours or even days to get back into the mental state of awareness that you were in before. In sports, coaches or players might call a “Time Out” to clear their heads and try to regain the mental state needed to proceed. In business, perhaps a short break to clear your head or a walk to settle the nerves might be all that’s needed but it’s not as simple in most cases, to simply flip a switch and have the focus come right back.
As we head into the busy summer months, what can you do to avoid the distractions, interruptions, or unexpected thoughts that could take away your focus? How do your current results stack up compared to last year or your projected business year-to-date? Have you reviewed your business plans and goals to make sure you’re still on track? Does anything get in the way of your daily business development activities or do you find yourself allowing for too many breaks in the necessary routines and habits you should be doing to achieve the results you seek?
Take a deep breath and remind yourself what you should be doing to get a step closer to your desired results. What needs to happen this week? Today? Right now?
Let’s get out there and focus on building relationships, solving problems and having fun. If we can do those three things each and every day, I’m pretty sure whatever we’re focusing on will start to become clearer and clearer every day.