This week’s focus:
We get what we focus on!
Firearm regulations in the US are again in the headlines following another fatal shooting incident in a school. Of course, here in South Africa, perhaps the most notorious case was that of Oscar Pistorius.
These incidents remind me of something that arises regularly in my practice as a coach – we tend to get what we focus on! In Oscar’s case, unfortunately, if you focus so much on guns and security, then you are likely to use a gun at some time. If we focus on eating, too much or too little, there will be consequences. If we focus on doing things perfectly and are hard on ourselves when we fall short of perfection, then there will be consequences. If we focus entirely on our work, we are likely to become workaholics. We need to take ownership of the things we focus on, especially the things we are obsessed with.
In all these examples, it seems to me to be a case of “if we don’t manage what we are focusing on, sooner or later the thing we focus on will manage us.” Habits like these grow into obsessions.
Maybe it’s a good opportunity for us all to ask ourselves what are becoming habits and obsessions in our lives? What will happen if we focus or obsess on these things over a period?
