Quotes About Focus

In a 1977 article in Ebony magazine, the incredibly successful comedian Bill Cosby summed up this productivity thief perfectly. As he was building his career, Cosby read some advice that he took to heart: "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.

To achieve an extraordinary result you must choose what matters most and give it all the time it demands. This requires getting extremely out of balance in relation to all other work issues, with only infrequent counterbalancing to address them.

Thinking informs actions and actions determine outcomes.

Obviously, you can drive yourself nuts analyzing every little aspect of everything you might do. I don't do that, and you shouldn't either. Start with the big stuff and see where it takes you.

Every minute of every day, the question is never will we be doing something, but rather what that something is we'll be doing.

The Focusing Question can direct you to your ONE Thing in the different areas of your life. Simply reframe the Focusing Question by inserting your area of focus. You can also include a time frame—such as "right now" or "this year"—to give your answer the appropriate level of immediacy, or "in five years" or "someday" to find a big-picture answer that points you at outcomes to aim for.

Author Dave Crenshaw put it just right when he wrote, "The people we live with and work with on a daily basis deserve our full attention. When we give people segmented attention, piecemeal time, switching back and forth, the switching cost is higher than just the time involved. We end up damaging relationships." Every

Author Dave Crenshaw put it just right when he wrote, "The people we live with and work with on a daily basis deserve our full attention. When we give people segmented attention, piecemeal time, switching back and forth, the switching cost is higher than just the time involved. We end up damaging relationships.

Those who wrote down their goals were 39.5 percent more likely to accomplish them.

Think as big as you possibly can and base what you do, how you do it, and who you do it with on succeeding at that level.

Every day great salespeople generate leads, great programmers program, and great artists paint. Take any profession or any position and fill in the blank. Great success shows up when time is devoted every day to becoming great.

So how do you make The ONE Thing part of your daily routine? How do you make it strong enough to get extraordinary results at work and in the other areas of your life?

Time on a task, over time, eventually beats talent every time.

The first step is to understand the concept of the ONE Thing, then to believe that it can make a difference in your life. If you don't understand and believe, you won't take action.

The Focusing Question helps you identify your ONE Thing in any situation. It will clarify what you want in the big areas of your life and then drill down to what you must do to get them. It's really a simple process: You ask a great question, then you seek out a great answer. As simple as two steps, it's the ultimate Success Habit.

Start each day by asking, "What's the ONE Thing I can do today for [whatever you want] such that by doing it everything else will be easier or even unnecessary?" When you do this, your direction will become clear.

When you make asking the Focusing Question a habit, you fully engage its power to get the extraordinary results you want.

The Focusing Question is the foundational habit I use to achieve extraordinary results and lead a big life. I use it for some things and not at all for others. I apply it to the important areas of my life: my spiritual life, physical health, personal life, key relationships, job, business, and financial life. And I address them in that order—each one is a foundation for the next.

If I want it, what must happen for me to get it?

Starting a success support group with some of your work colleagues can help inspire all of you to practice the Success Habit every day. Get your family involved. Share your ONE Thing. Get them on board. Use the Focusing Question around them to show them how the Success Habit can make a difference in their school work, their personal achievements, or any other part of their lives.

are no excuses, no hiding places, and no "victim behavior." Goal pursuit, for

El secreto para salir adelante es empezar. El secreto de empezar es dividir las tareas complejas que te agobian en tareas pequeñas y manejables y entonces empezar por la primera.

What's the ONE Thing I can do to help others...

Be like a postage stamp— stick to one thing until you get there." —Josh Billings