I was missing a point of focus in the early years of my business career as a professional salesperson. I started out selling capital goods like printing equipment and photocopiers, then moved on to selling services in the computer industry, then joined Dun & Bradstreet selling data-driven direct marketing services (this was in the pre-digital age).

In my first 2 jobs, I always managed to hold a position in the top 20% of employees, but when I came to Dun & Bradstreet, I wanted to be the top salesperson.

I got off to a good start and reached my goals, but I didn’t break any records. Then, in the seventh month, I missed a goal and was very despondent.

My sales manager took me aside and gave me advice that has stayed with me for the last 40 years:

“Stephen,” he said, “you are a good salesperson and one of your strongest qualities is your energy and enthusiasm, but you are everywhere, you lack a point of focus. To become the great salesperson I believe you can be, you need establish a point of focus on those core activities that will generate the big sales.

Fast forward 12 months, I applied your advice and was a top seller. I broke all previous records by bringing in the largest order the division had ever seen, exceeding my goal by 250% and making a lot of money.

Your point of focus helps or hinders you

We live in an energetic universe and it is not neutral, it is also a participatory universe.

Every thought you have, and especially the underlying energetic state associated with that thought, is influencing your life.

Either it is helping you or it is hindering you.

Your internal energetic states, your external behaviors, and therefore your outcomes in life, are a direct result of your point of focus.

Over time, what you focus your mind on becomes your reality.

It’s a binary option

Your primary point of focus is a binary choice, and the outcome of that choice is critical to your happiness, your inner peace, and your ability to create what you want in life.

You can focus on what you want and what you want to move toward, or you can focus on what you don’t want, what you want to avoid, what you fear, what you worry about, and what you want. get away from

The most resourceful approach is to live life as if you expect to immediately reap the results of your thoughts.

Is your unconscious point of focus on what you don’t want?

The big problem is that many of us are not aware of what we are focusing on.

Unconsciously focusing on what you don’t want shows your immunity to change and is at the root of all your resistance to what you say you want.

How do you know that you are subconsciously focusing on what you don’t want?

You can find out what your true point of focus is by:

(1) How do you feel? Every time you have a bad feeling, you are subconsciously focusing on what you don’t want and what you are trying to avoid.

(2) Your results. Anytime an area of ​​your life isn’t working, it’s because you’re focusing on what you don’t want in that area.

The root cause of focusing on what you don’t want is bad experiences and traumas from the past. When you have a significant negative emotional experience, you start thinking, “There’s danger out there and I have to avoid it.”

However, to avoid it, you have to focus on it, and when you do, two things happen: first, you feel bad, and second, you understand.

Then you focus on that again…and create a vicious cycle of defeat “chasing your tail” to offset the impacts of your unintentional miscreations of negative energy.

The ongoing solution to this is to adopt a mindful approach to life as an effective way to become aware of your habitual (negative) thought patterns and emotional states and to weaken their hold on you to the point that you no longer identify with these thoughts. and states

Practicing mindfulness will prevent you from unconsciously and automatically focusing, and will allow you to intentionally shift your point of focus on what you want.

6 key points to help your point of focus

(1) Be very clear: What do you want? What is your main wish?

(2) Stop trying and start doing. When you try, you don’t, so do it.

(3) Be mindful and start noticing when you are focusing on what you don’t want.

(4) Be aware that your resistance will try to make your mind go back to what you don’t want. If so, be aware and sit with it and accept it.

(5) Change your focus point back to what you want. (I recommend: “The Three Minute Power Break” as a great resource for this – check it out on my website.)

(6) Keep brief accounts with yourself and, when necessary, correct your thoughts as they occur.

Finding out what you really want saves you endless confusion and wasted energy.

Read more: Focus Point