Focus is often championed as THE key to success among entrepreneurs and coaches who major in goal setting and goal getting. As a consequence, distraction is often a key reason why those goals get missed as the focus becomes split.
What if our focus is on the wrong things though? Being focused is all very well, but just suppose we are not conditioned to focus on the things that really matter. In our quest to be focused, we focus on the wrong thing, thinking it is the right thing.
We are told that we have to focus on ourselves. We must attend to self-development, self-esteem, self-love and self-focus and you can’t help others IF you are not taking care of yourself.
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However, let me suggest an alternative view: When it comes to your talent, that special something that you flow in, it isn’t just for you. You were not born to look in a mirror and reward yourself. That talent is actually a gift and the best thing you can do with a gift is give it.
I have found that as I began to understand that my gift was meant for other people my focus changed. The ‘self’ focus was really only about maintaining the energy levels required to ensure that the gift delivered impact every time.
We are born to add value to one another. It’s a lack of self-esteem or worth that holds us back from being able to make that happen.
I think that the best thing to focus on is to gain an understanding of the gift you carry and how you can use it to impact other people. Thinking like that helps me to manage myself.
Being selfish doesn’t lead anywhere good, so why not focus on being selfless? Not becoming a person who other people walk all over, but someone who is always looking to help. Those kinds of people lift others.
That’s my challenge to you: become a lifter. Lift others with your gifts.
Here are three ways you can lift:
Lift the mood.
We are in dark times. The news is ablaze with the next ‘emergency’ where any flicker of hope in humanity is crushed with huge headlines, negative words engineered to bring your mood down. From Covid to climate, there is always an emergency seeking to hold us in the grip of fear.
So why not unplug from the news and go find out what is really going on? Not to entertain conspiracy but rather to dig deeper into the headlines to mine for truth. You’ll realise that the news is often designed to capture our attention through negativity.
A growing number of people are switching off. Not because they are ignorant but rather because they want to be part of the solution (as opposed to simply bewailing the problems) and help where help is needed.
When it is plastic washing up on our shores, they are clearing it. When it is people being ill, they are looking to help in small ways, like an extra shop.
Doing little can do a lot to change a situation. So, rather than be paralysed by the latest disaster, political misstep or picking a side to fight with at the expense of someone else, why not be the light, and offer others a higher way? We can all learn to be a solution.
People that lift know that there is a problem but they look to help and deal with the daily. They know how to make an impression on a daily basis and make a difference.
Lifters are the mood maker who make a choice to change a negative into a positive. While the news might not appear good, they are happy to do good. People who lift tend to create a shift.
Lift the room.
Leaving a room better than you did when you entered it is a goal worth keeping. Networking is full of conversations about small things, ego and looking for the next top-up unless you are a lifter.
Add value, share insights, give wisdom, connect and look to build fresh relationships!
The more you add value, the wider the stages you’ll find yourself on. You don’t start speaking to the room by wanting to be the guest speaker. It is about one conversation at a time that builds your reputation and a desire to contribute significantly by adding value that gets your voice heard.
Trust creates traction. The more trust you build, the more transformational trust becomes. The doors trust opens can create significant opportunities that marketing alone cannot. In fact, marketing should really be about amplifying the trust you already have with happy, inspired customers.
You don’t want to enter a room talking about your services, you want to lift the room using the experience and insight you have to enrich others. That’s lifting the room. Serving not selling.
Lift the energy.
This is on you. Not being selfish but understanding that fuel is what helps you travel. Guard against negative noises. The very things that rob you of the fuel to do the job.
Lifting the energy is spending time on the right things and seeing a sea change of evidence in how you think, feel and behave.
It is spending time with those you love, looking after each other, eating the right things, getting the right amount of sleep and ensuring you have positive people around you. Learn to do what it takes to change the noise levels and start to tune in to why and where you can employ your gifts.
The energy that you have is relative to the level of impact you can create. Take care of yourself but don’t lose the fact that you have a responsibility to give your best to those around you.
As the output goes up, you also need to find the right levels of input. You cannot go the distance without the right input. So make sure you invest the time to ensure that you fly.
Your ability to lift improves over time. The more you do it, the better you get. We are called to lift others. As leaders, we have the responsibility to reshape the world in which we live for the positive. When we make a choice to be ‘in it’ not just for ourselves, justice grows. The right things start happening and the world around us is reshaped. People become happier and more productive.
The way out of dark times is found by the one brave enough to move first and spread the light. When you choose to be a giver, other gifts gather to multiply the impact you are making! So, today, think about how you can lift someone and make a choice to start.