Originally Posted On: https://raptordigitalmarketing.com/2024/10/20/focus-makes-your-life-beautiful/
Focus makes your life beautiful
Why I write these letters
With the theme of this week’s email, I’ll try and keep my thoughts precise and focused on one topic. However I would like to say something quick about the purpose of these emails and why I write them.
First they are an immense help to myself in organizing my thoughts, things I’ve learned and what is helping me in my own business and personal life.
I’ve found that as I organize my thoughts in writing, I can often articulate much better than if I’m simply speaking aloud.
I do plan at some point to organize the letters that have changed my life the most into a book, but that will be a bit down the road.
I hope that you find these letters helpful in one way or another and I do appreciate you taking time to read them when you can.
So without further adieu, my thoughts on focus:
Focus and how it impacts you more than you think
I’ve spent a lot of time observing people. I’m always fascinated by how we as a species react to environments, behaviors of others and so forth.
One behavior I’ve been especially intrigued by is focus. More specifically our inability to focus for very long on one thing.
I do believe this is a learned behavior based on reward and dopamine.
I won’t go into the science behind it, but most of us are fully aware of how social media companies have continually adjusted their platforms to maximize user’s time on their sites.
The affect is now millions who mindlessly scroll through their phones at such a rapid pace, that absorbing anything of value is extremely difficult.
We are being trained to pass on anything that isn’t entertaining or interesting at an extremely fast rate creating a very judgmental and immediate gratification focused generation.
The learned behaviors from social media are now translating into our everyday lives.
Important questions to ask yourself
Here’s a quick litmus test you can take. No judgement here, only you’ll know the answers:
- Do you buy products that aren’t exactly what you wanted but were close enough and easier to acquire using Amazon prime or other options that are easier vs. worthwhile?
- Do you tell yourself that it’s “therapy” or unwinding to spend time on your phone doing “mindless” activities and use technology to sooth what aches?
- When was the last time you spent a minimum of 1 hour reading a book?
- Are you comfortable sitting in silence for 5 minutes? What about an hour? Within that silence are you the master of your thoughts or the captain of your soul as they say?
Although these may or may not seem to be related to “focus”, I can tell you they relate more than you may know.
These are questions that are helpful for me. You have have your own that resonate with your own habits. I tend to focus on questions I don’t always like the answer to, and that will incite the most change in myself.
The purpose of doing so is to open up the thoughts or knowledge you have locked away for good reason, because you know there are habits or behaviors there that aren’t meaningful.
The beautiful life focus gives you
Sometimes when I write I notice my words can be a little harsh. I do that on purpose to hopefully put down on paper my deepest feelings in the least amount of words possible.
Change comes from within each of us and nothing I write will incite personal change that we all need.
However, sometimes words written with the intent to help others may just incite change by connecting with some long buried memory that needs to be refreshed and meditated on by the reader.
My life is more beautiful when I focus.
Days where I notice the clouds drifting or the sound of the wind through the leaves in the trees are my most relaxing.
Sitting alone for moments reading and thinking of nothing else but the words on the pages allows my mind to refresh, relax and regroup for the mentally difficult days that my business in technology requires of my mind.
The more I put my phone down, banish activities that are meant to provide short bursts of pleasure for activities that in the long-term provide the rest I really need, the more I feel myself content with my life and grateful to have it.
Taking action
Reading this far already shows your ability to focus more than many others can. You may not have issue with focus in your life or a need to consciously clear your mind to only one thing at a time.
We all however have a need to focus more. In our world currency is not measured by attention. Clients pay me to help them get more attention from possible consumers.
That really is what advertising is correct? Getting someones attention?
If the 2% of your eye (the fovea) that isn’t peripheral vision is worth so much to so many companies, why wouldn’t you guard it and choose what gets your focus instead of letting the loudest things to enter at their own delight?
Just something to think about as you go out into the world today.
Take care my friend,
-Joseph
