{"id":52725,"date":"2017-11-04T18:57:58","date_gmt":"2017-11-05T02:57:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=52725"},"modified":"2017-11-06T20:22:31","modified_gmt":"2017-11-07T04:22:31","slug":"3-ways-to-focus-on-what-you-want","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-ways-to-focus-on-what-you-want\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways to Focus on What You Want"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

In today\u2019s 24\/7, never-unplugged culture, getting through a day often feels like a full-contact sport \u2013 bruises and all. Despite the billions of dollars raked in annually by the wellness industries, statistics show that more Americans than ever are stressed, depressed, and anxiety-ridden \u2013 with high-achieving women disproportionately sitting at the top of the burned-out, run-ragged pack.<\/p>\n

A breakdown-moment question I often receive from women executives and entrepreneurs alike is some form of, \u201cHow can I grow my business faster while having a proper and healthy work-life balance and remaining present in my children\u2019s lives and spending time with my husband and traveling?\u201d<\/em> (No joke. That\u2019s a word-for-word question I received last week.)<\/p>\n

My short answer is: You can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

My longer answer is: One cake at a time.<\/p>\n

Because you can<\/em>\u00a0have your cake and eat it too, but you can’t have multiple cakes at the same time. It’s critical to be\u00a0aware of what’s most important to you<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>and how you intend to consistently show up<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>for that.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, I carve out uninterrupted playtime with my daughter almost every day. Yesterday it was coloring; today it was flying human airplanes in bed. Those simple moments together reinforce my commitment to be a playful and present mother, and show my daughter that she is a priority in my life. (So I\u2019m not checking my phone intermittently while we\u2019re coloring, or thinking about something else while I\u2019m reading to her.) I\u2019m fully present, and she can feel that.<\/p>\n

I apply this same singular focus to everything that\u2019s worth doing in my business and life. The cumulative effect of those consistent growth practices is pure magic.<\/p>\n

Here are a few simple strategies to experience this same magic in your life: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Strategy #1: F.O.C.U.S.<\/strong> Follow One<\/em> Course Until Successful. In a keynote speech about the Third Metric, Arianna Huffington discusses the dangers of multitasking: \u201cYou think you\u2019re being efficient, but actually you\u2019re being stupid.\u201d As Arianna points out, we now have scientific evidence proving we cannot multi-task. Knowing that, what\u2019s most <\/em>important to you right now<\/em>? Maybe it\u2019s taking time off to hang with your little one. Or a personal project you\u2019ve been putting off\u2026 Whatever it is: it\u2019s time. Don\u2019t let all the things you can<\/em> choose get in the way of what you know you must. When you set up your time and space to \u2018single-task\u2019, you\u2019ll accomplish more and feel less stressed and more satisfied.<\/p>\n

Strategy #2: ACT. <\/strong>To paraphrase from motivational author Napoleon Hill\u2019s work, knowledge is not power. It\u2019s potential power. Knowledge without action is completely useless.<\/em> So what 1-2 actions could you take today to move in the direction of your FOCUS? What could you create? When I had an over-full-time corporate gig, I dreamed of starting a blog. I didn\u2019t even really know what a blog was at the time, but I used my lunch breaks and late evenings to find out and to simply start writing. What daily action can you take in the direction of your dreams? Small, consistent practices lead to big, crazy cool results.<\/p>\n

Strategy #3: CONNECT. <\/strong>Who can help you and who can you help with what you\u2019re creating? When you connect to your deepest desires, you\u2019ll also start connecting with the people and circumstances that steadily bring them to life. And remember, in this information age you can spend time with anyone you want. Find someone who\u2019s killing it in the biz-life areas you feel called to focus on and study them<\/em>. What are they doing differently? Make it a point to learn something from them today — either by reading or listening to their work, or by finding other creative ways to engage indirectly or directly with them.<\/p>\n

\n

Cortney McDermott<\/em><\/a><\/strong> is an award-winning writer, TEDx speaker, and strategist to Fortune 500 executives, entrepreneurial leaders, and think tanks around the world. She writes for a number of international publications, including She Owns It and HuffPost. Her debut book, <\/em>Change Starts Within You: Unlock the Confidence to Lead with Intuition<\/strong><\/a> was selected for Inc.com\u2019s \u201c26 Favorite Books of High Achievers\u201d and has been featured in multiple media outlets around the nation.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before turning entrepreneur, Cortney served as an executive at Vanity Fair Corporation, vice president at Sustainability Partners, professor of graduate studies for Big Ten US universities, and global associate for the renowned beCause Consortium. (She also moonlighted as a deli waitress, secretary, and everything in between, as a way to put herself through school and life.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Cortney is a graduate of the London School of Economics and a certified cultural mediator in multiple languages. She lives with her family between the United States and Italyfocus<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s 24\/7, never-unplugged culture, getting through a day often feels like a full-contact sport \u2013 bruises and all. Despite the billions of dollars raked in annually by the wellness industries, statistics show that more Americans than ever are stressed, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12602,"featured_media":52727,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[205,32,9,17,112,6,31,39,36],"tags":[5671,5652,5408,4987,369,158,3653,5936,3652,1180,283,590,66,4629,4647,4119],"yoast_head":"\n3 Ways to Focus on What You Want<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In a world that never slows down, how can you find the time, energy or angle to focus on what you want? 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