By Douglas Clark
Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives.
Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives.
A very big challenge for me has always been focus. True at
heart, I am a day dreamer. There have been and are multiple scenarios and
situations where I find myself being whisked away to a dreamland conjured up
from my imagination. It's just fun to get lost in a world of my own creation.
From a young age, if I were staring out the window of my
parents’ car, watching the rain come down, stuck at the dentist’s office, bored
at school, etc., I would always find myself creating fantastical narratives for
me and my imaginary characters to explore. Now I never got in trouble in school
or work for distractions, but I realized a long time ago that even though
daydreaming and imaginations are great fodder for creating art, lack of focus
can wash away all relevance those daydreams brought.
You see, focus keeps us in line. Focusing on the job at hand, getting things
done, and checking things off the ‘to do’ list help you keep an organized
life, but if you don’t find time to daydream, that life becomes pretty sterile. I find that sometimes when I get focused on my day-to-day chores and responsibilities, I lose that head in the clouds type mindset that helps me create.
It took me a long time to realize balancing my life between focused
responsibility and daydreaming is vital. I love to daydream and just imagine,
but when I apply my focus and determination to expression– that’s when real
creativity begins. For a long time I wanted to write a full novel, but it wasn't until I focused my determination and married it with my creativity did I actually finish one.
Being good at a few, or even just one thing can bring order
and meaning into our lives. I’ve often thought about my education and what type
of expertise and authority it brings to my opinion about literature and
writing. From my experiences and studies I know I don’t know everything, but I
know enough to comment and help others improve. It’s more than I could do in a
physics class. I’d be totally lost. But the written and spoken word – well I’ve
done pretty good for myself learning how to use them both.
Now obviously I
still have a lot to learn. With such a diverse and growing language as English,
there’s always more to know. But language is the one thing I know I’m good at,
even if sometimes I need a reminder about how much more I need to know about
focus. I’m not myopic
in the subject matter in which I’d like to learn more, but I narrowed it down
considerably from when I was younger.
Learning who you are and what you like is a long process;
you change as you grow up and gain experience. Staying focused on what you want
and love helps to bring clarity to your actions and direction. If you suffer
from a lack of direction or focus, look at the things that are
distracting you. The answer to finding focus might be staring you right in the
face. Oh, and no matter how many times you get side tracked and distracted,
make sure you come back to focusing on your dreams and goals. Sooner or later,
staying focused on your mission will become a habit.
Thanks for reading
Questions and comments welcome.
