It’s the most powerful tool we have to achieve our goals: FOCUS. And yes, it works like magic. I’ve recently meandered down several professional paths and in the spirit of being open-minded and opportunity-oriented, I’ve met many interesting, passionate and successful people. Some of the conversations I had and meetings I attended were energizing and on-point. Most have been exhausting and off-focus.

There’s a balance we need to find here. How do we not close ourselves off by being too narrowly focused on our vision and goal? How do we stay true to our own purpose and passion while still playing in the wider field of possibility? If you know me, you’ve discovered my penchant for alliteration. My tool for staying focused is made up of the five P’s:

1. Passion – What fuels us, drives us, gets us out of bed in the morning, excites us to work late into the night? When we love what we’re doing and where we’re going, it’s easier to stay on-task and not be taken off course by others’ passionate dreams and ventures.
2. Purpose – What are we here to do? How do we want to serve? When we have an intention, it’s easier to focus our attention on accomplishing it.
3. Plan – What, specifically, do we want to accomplish? What do we want to build or create? By when and with whom? Where and for how much?
4. Persistence – What will we do monthly, weekly, daily and hourly to accomplish our goals and carry out our plan? Developing a structure so we know what we’re doing on Monday and on Friday, in January and in December will keep us focused and active.
5. Patience – What activities might we put in place to assure that we stick to our original plans and not jump at other opportunities when we don’t see immediate results? For me it’s meditation, yoga, exercise, hikes, inspirational reading, mastermind meetings and family dinners.