There is a quote by Winston Churchill that sums up the importance of focus.
“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks”
This applies to bloggers, business, online success and even life. We can be distracted by every opportunity, interest and idea that crosses our path. Every seeming opportunity is not an opportunity.
Saying no is often a better option.
Achieving your dreams requires a focused vision that is not distracted by every barking dog.
Your passing interests can be a distraction
Potential bloggers that are aspiring to start a blog or having trouble gaining online attention send me an email that goes something like this.
“I like photography, marketing and road cycling. Do you think that a blog that covers all three will work…Oh yes… I also love travelling”
My response: Sorry, you have to make a choice.
The fear that resides within all of us about making a choice is sometimes motivated by the anxiety that you may choose the wrong topic. This nagging noise will often stop you even starting.
The solution?
Pick a topic that touches you and just start. It may be wrong. But if you don’t start you will never know.
So what do you choose?
This choice bedevils many of us.
Corporations like to round us out by training us where we are weak. Not a team player, then you are sent on a team building course. Not quite leadership material? Then a weekend workshop on “Leadership 101? is booked in.
It doesn’t mean we ignore our weaknesses but acknowledge them. Don’t have attention to detail.. then hire a virtual or personal assistant that breathes the small stuff.
But you were chosen for what you are good at and maybe even have an innate talent. It’s the resume stupid!
Let’s celebrate that.
The intersection of innate ability and passion
They are often the same. Innate ability leads us to doing what you excel at. If you just listen. Passion and purpose flows when you are in “your” zone.
This is why you should not try to copy someone. That is them and you are you.
Elizabeth Gilbert the author of the bestseller “Eat, Pray Love” described that intersection as “home.”
“Your home is the place where you can devote your energies with such singular devotion that the ultimate results become inconsequential.”
For her it has always been writing.
Her first book was a global phenomenon and her next book bombed. She discovered this:
“If you do that, you will be safe from the random hurricanes of outcome, as long as you don’t forget where you rightfully live. You have to identify the best most worthiest thing you love most and build your house right on top of that and don’t budge from it. Don’t get vaulted out of your home by great failure or great success. If you do you need to put your head down and fight your way back home and do the work with diligence, devotion and respect… whatever love is calling for you to do next.”
How do you discover your strengths?
Sometimes we need guidance and help. It can be friends, family or that inspirational teacher and mentor. It could even be a book. There is a book worth casting your eyes over, titled “Now, Discover Your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham.
When you download it from the Amazon store it comes with a complimentary “Strength Finder” test that identifies your top five strengths. It may be revealing or it may confirm what you already know.
Another resource I have found useful that resonated for me was “The Element – How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything” by Ken Robinson.
A question worth asking….”As a child, what would you have done despite the threat of parental disapproval and discipline?” The answer may lie within.
The digital web world has changed the game
The digital democratization of publishing and marketing allows every creator, artist and knowledge worker (that’s you) to display their innate talents online, should they choose. You now have the platforms and the channels to find your voice and your audience.
We have all become publishers. Are you willing to start?
Is it time to find out your true potential? The tools are there, you just need to use them. Do you need to buckle up and start “your work” in an age of global opportunity?
This article was originally published by Jeff Bullas
Published: August 11, 2014
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