I have been spending time each day walking in hopes of turning my “liquid six pack” into something more appealing when viewed in bathroom mirror. One of the things I do while I am walking is practice my observation skills. I find this helps me as a photographer and it allows my mind to focus on things that I would not normally pay attention to. 

For example, I may look for how many blue jays or cardinals I can see in the trees, or count the number of black cars that are parked in the street. Today, I walked in the street and set my sights on finding coins, specifically quarters. After walking over a mile, I came across a dirty, run-over quarter lying quietly next to the curb. I was amazed and excited to find this silver treasure. Not because l was suddenly twenty five cents richer, but because I had accomplished what I had set out to do. 

This got me to thinking about goal setting and focus. It has been proven over and over again that you can achieve what you think about. Our minds are very powerful and when we really want something bad enough, our subconscious works overtime to help us get it.

Now, I know some of you may think I am crazy and believe I only found this quarter through dumb luck. I challenge you to think about what a lot of people say when they see someone quickly become successful. Many will say the person was lucky or they accomplished something amazing because they just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

What they don’t realize is all the thought, planning, blood, sweat and tears many people initially experience in order to be successful. Creative entrepreneurs, photographers, and artists rarely achieve success right away. They spend years honing their craft and it may take them over half of their lifetime to  achieve overnight success. Their secret is they remained focused and persistent while they were chasing their passion.

Whether you agree or not, I found this experience fascinating because it led me to think about the power of focus and what I can achieve if I put it to use more often.

What do you want to focus your mind on today that will help get you closer to your definition of success? Get creative and give it a try. Who knows? There may also be more money in your future!