DATED – 3rd June 2014

I did my Masters degree from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. As I was studying there for about 18 months, I realized that one of the most awaited and exciting event that happens in Melbourne is – F1 (Formula One) race. Melbourne is the place where the F1 season begins. One can always feel the excitement in the air!

A few of my friends in Melbourne were great fans of F1. They would always make it a point to watch the F1 race. They told me something, which was brilliant. They told me that the cars zoom at the speed of 300 km/hour. (The sound in the circuit is deafening. You need ear plugs to be able to sit and watch it live). Until their focus is on the road ahead, they are always in control of their car. The moment their focus dwindles even for a mini second, they suffer in the race.

How true this is in our lives too! Depending on where my focus is, so are the results for me too. Let’s consider a few real life examples –

• When I say it is a tough subject for me, how many times have I scored well in it?
• When my thought is that I am going to make a call to a customer who is a little tricky, do I actually ever end up convincing that customer?
• When I am of the opinion that I don’t think this friendship will last long, have I ever mended that friendship?
• When I say it is recession time, have I ever grown in my business during that period?

The point I am attempting to make is that when I think of a situation in a negative way (which is my focus), invariably the outcome is never positive. Instead, how about shifting focus –

• Irrespective of how tough the subject looks, with a little bit of extra studies, I should be able to score extremely well.
• Though the customer looks tricky, today seems to be my day. I can convert any one into my customer.
• Even when the friend is not responding the way I would like him to, I will take that initiative to build the relationship and get back to the good old times.
• Doesn’t matter if it is a recession. Not everyone has stopped buying. Even if there is one customer who is buying, how can I get him to come to me?

VIS-À-VIS my life –

More often than not, I look at any situation with an intent to find a solution to it. Some situations bewilder me; some are fresh challenges; some don’t seem to have a straight solution. But when I set my mind to think – what is the best solution to this issue, a solution pops up automatically. I think this happens because I shift my focus onto – how to solve this?

I firmly believe in this concept and have seen this working for me. When I get my focus right, positive outcomes happen! Hence, I have promised myself to always KEEP MY FOCUS RIGHT …