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Guest post by: Joan Friedlander Become an Author

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Focus: remove distractions so you can concentrate on the task or project at hand.

What do "The Secret," "The Dip," "Think and Grow Rich," and "Good to Great" all have in common? Techniques to help you focus so you can have what you want. What's the enemy of focus? Distraction. What's makes us susceptible to distraction? Lack of confidence, questionable purpose, insufficient goals, low-grade filters, chemical disturbances, and so on. It's not email!

If you suffer from the battle of distractions, you may take twice as long to reach your goals. This part is obvious. But what about the impact on your personal health, your energy and your level of confidence?

Common sense says that you can do a better job with anything you undertake if you plan for it, set aside time for it, and work on it in concentrated chunks of time without outside distractions.

Energetically, I imagine that being able to focus may come from the area of your body right behind your solar plexus. Back in the 90's, when I was dealing a variety of really nasty symptoms associated with Crohn's Disease, I read and reread Carolyn Myss' "Anatomy of the Spirit," and listened to her tape set, "Energy Anatomy." She points to the third chakra (right above your waist area) as the place where your strength of conviction lies. It's the source of your personal power and the place from which intuitive guidance arises when self-esteem is intact. If this is so, it stands to reason that If you don't have a strong core, if you're not able to stand firmly in your power, you're more easily susceptible to outside forces in life...and it's harder to focus.

Oprah Winfrey was quoted in "The Power of Focus for Women" as having said, "Being able to disappoint others is crucial to reclaiming your life." I say it's crucial to regaining focus.

What's an Earthling to do? Where can you start if you're overrun by distractions? Following is a very simple formula for focusing. Each of these steps requires some time and attention. You might take a look at the steps and make note of the ones you have the most difficulty with and create a project commitment to improve your skill or capacity in this area.

- Plan

- Review your plan daily

- Align your projects and activities with your goals and purpose

- Be ruthless in the elimination of distractions

- Delay response to new opportunities with these 9 words: "I'll have to get back to you on that." Evaluate the opportunity against your goals and then reply

- Stop Multitasking! (No, women are not good at it.)

- Repeat

Of course, while writing this short article, I was interrupted a few times by unexpected requests, and by my own pull to check email. However, I was successful in limiting my engagement with email, putting some requests aside, and returning to the article as soon as I was done handling those requests I felt were important. Interestingly enough, it's a different article than the one I started 2 days ago. There's that whole go with the flow thing, too.

Take Action Now:

1. Review your goals and strategically plan every day.*
2. Schedule 1-2 tasks aligned with your long-term goals every week.
3. Identify 2 distractions that make it hard for you to focus. Eliminate 1 this month.

I leave you with this question based on a quote by Carolyn Myss, PhD., Anatomy of the Spirit.

"Given your particular body, environment, and beliefs, will you make choices that enhance your [objectives] or those that drain your power into the physical illusion around you?"

Your answer to this question may very well determine your ability to focus. It's not about email.

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