“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)
Paul was a man of focus. He was focused on the goal. Great leadership is all about focus. Tony Robbins said, “Energy flows where attention goes.To get what you really want in life, you need a clear goal that has purpose and meaning behind it. Once this is in place, you can focus your energy on the goal and become obsessive about it. When you learn how to focus your energy, amazing things happen.” Another word for focus is concentration. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short in all management of human affairs.” There are ideas and thoughts you can spend your time and energy on and easily become distracted. Instead, you need to press on toward your goal, as the scripture says. This may take some forgetting of the past and straining forward. If you want to make a positive difference in your business, ministry, and your life, then take some time and determine where it’s best for you to focus your efforts to bring the greatest results. John Maxwell suggests that there are five things that will help in becoming a more focused leader in his book, “How to Become a Focused Leader.”
- Remove distractions.
- Make time for focused thinking.
- Keep items of focus before you.
- Set goals.
- Question your progress.