The Olympics teach entrepreneurs 4 winning ways to get focused

What does being a champion in the Olympics and a highly-successful entrepreneur or small business owner require? Unwavering focus. According to Alan Dawe of the Life Magic Healing Centre, Aukland, focus is: “A point upon which attention, activity etc. is directed or concentrated.” For you to feel consistently motivated to take action, you need to:

(1) Create a big and bold intention that you intuitively and intellectually know will be a win-win-win for you, your clients, and your joint venture partners and suppliers;
(2) Direct your attention towards desirable activities that align with this powerful intention;
(3) Define what “peak business performance” looks, sounds and feels like for you, so that you may recognize it when you experience and have attained it. Be sure to also include measurable tangibles.

Without this focus, you will feel scattered and unsure, and attaining peak business performance will not be feasible for you. In fact, did you know that Beijing 2008 Olympic Games swimming champion Michael Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD when he was nine years young? Whether or not you are naturally able to hyper-focus, here is what you can do if your business is not yet booming:

Cultivate focus to make your business soar – 4 winning Olympic lessons

1. Passions: Follow your passions and you will be able to focus, persevere, and triumph through all odds to achieve the aims of your passion . Ask yourself: What do I love to do, which I am also really good at?

2. Strengths: Leverage your Enneagram personality type’s strengths, when you are negotiating deals or contracts, working with clients and joint venture partners, creating program and information products, and organizing events too.

3. Boundaries: Be realistic about how you package your passions and strengths, and what promises you make to your clients. Communicate your boundaries up front with your prospective clients and joint venture partners… before you officially make a commitment to one another. If you find that you are continually attracting clients who want more than you can and want to offer, be firm with them -- even if they are trying to force their strong character, opinions and demands onto you. In the long run, it will not be worth the sale or the partnership.

4. Pacing: What pacing keeps your energy focused? For instance, naturally pro-active 3, 7 and 8 Enneagram types (especially visual people) thrive in medium-to-fast-paced environments. Contrast this with the naturally passive 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9 types (especially kinesthetic people), who work better in slow-paced contexts. And yes, the naturally active 1 and 2 (when helping others only) types excel in medium-paced environments. Your pacing preferences will also help you define and spot your “A” clients. After all, if a slow pace (including environment) drags you down, this may be too much of an adjustment for you and a prospect who prefers a slow pace to make, for you to both feel stimulated and satisfied in your work together.

Although I have never been in the Olympics, I do recognize from my extensive business experience and from having been a former competitor of tennis, curling and highland dancing (Yes, I do have some Scottish ancestry), that achieving extraordinary results and success (for your clients and yourself) requires unwavering focus. Now it is your turn to think about, and do something constructive about this.