Business Bullets - People

It had long been a dream of mine to walk to Intupinku (the Sun Gate) to get my first glimpse of the great Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Yet nothing had prepared me for the majesty and beauty of the place and its magnificent setting – it was truly awe inspiring!

More than that, it taught me a great lesson in business focus and reminded me of the power of our minds, and in particular the power of focus to achieve our goals; because I was nervous, in fact fearful, of the steep climb both beforehand and on the day itself.

However I was helped by having made some decisions prior to the day:

1. I will complete the walk and enjoy the experience
2. I will not think of the problems or challenges until I have to i.e. until I actually experience them
3. Nothing I've been dreaming about for such a long time and looking forward to so much can ultimately disappoint

And on the day itself I did something very specific. Whilst walking I focused purely on the way ahead, on planting my feet firmly on the ground one step at a time.

I did not focus on how high up I was or on the length of the drop. On the narrowness of the path. On how far I still had to go. Or even on the obstacles I might face before I got there.
My focus was on the present – on what I had to do in each moment to keep myself moving forward. On where I was placing my feet, and on where I could hold or lean into the rock face.

AND my focus was also on the immediate future – on what I could see right in front of me.

It was absolutely NOT on what I couldn't see. It was not on looking down and it was not on looking back. Because I already knew those things could paralyse me with fear. It was also not on looking too far ahead, because I knew that would demotivate me if I couldn't see the end point, or even worse, if the end point seemed to be getting further away!

So what are the lessons in terms of business focus? And why might this be important?

My Top Business Focus Tips:

#1. Keep your eyes on the immediate horizon. Do not focus on your competitors or keep looking at where you've been, or what might go wrong. Simply look at where the next step is taking you, and at the immediate horizon.

#2. Keep your thoughts positives. When you focus on negatives it makes everyone feel worse. However, when you focus on the positives you constantly look for how to achieve your goal, for the next step to take.

#3. Keep moving forward. Take one step at a time. It doesn't matter how big the step – baby steps will still get you there as well as giant steps and leaps – as long as you keep moving forward.

And a bonus tip:

#4. Enjoy the journey. Do not get so caught up trying to get to your final destination that you forget to enjoy the journey. Remember, your current reality is always created in the present moment so be mindful and stop occasionally to appreciate exactly where you are.

Here's why it's important to remember and implement these tips ..........because they'll keep you moving in the right direction, and forward motion is essential to building business momentum.

So when you feel yourself losing focus remember these lessons from the Inca trail. Life has a way of teaching you what you most need to learn if you're open to the opportunities presented by your everyday experiences.