This month, I’m going to be looking at the theme of focus. This is a really interesting and important topic and focus is a key element of positive psychology. When we are focussed in the right way, we can be at our most productive and fulfilled. When we are focussed in the wrong way, or we focus on the wrong things, that’s when we can become demotivated and stuck.
The quality of all of our experiences depends on our focus.
If we are constantly thinking about what we lack, or where we feel we’re not good enough, or we fall into a comparison trap, then nothing we ever do or have will be good enough.
And we miss out on the best experiences of all…because our focus has us looking in the wrong direction. We don’t notice what else is going on around us.
Often, when we think about focus, we probably have an image in our head about someone being very driven and determined and working towards a goal. And they are very fixed about what they are doing and how they are doing it.
But this isn’t what focus should be about. Yes, we need to have a clear direction. Yes, we need to have drive. But being too fixed and too rigid, and working with blinkers on, means that we can miss out on some of the most important experiences and the learning opportunities that come from trying to achieve something.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking more specifically at how we can assess whether we focus in the right way. I will also share some ideas of how you can switch your focus to something that is more productive and pleasurable. And I’ll also look at how focus can work against us – and what happens when we become hyper focussed and things start to veer off track.
Photo credit: Romain Vignes on Unsplash.com