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The Second Obstacle

When we wrote about the first obstacle last week it only took that much time to surface the second obstacle.  If you didn’t get a chance to see the first one, find it here.  Basically we unraveled the conversation around having a clear and compelling outcome.  Without it, you’re doomed to consistent feelings of failure.  

What do you think happens when we write down our outcomes?  Do you typically just go after it?  If so, how long does that level of intensity last before you begin to re-address that outcome?  In my experience, it's only about a week or two before I start rethinking things.  Maybe it’s longer for you, but for me I find myself looking at other options.  

I noted last week that I recently took on over 70 real estate agents to Coach and this second obstacle has already begun to surface.

​Let’s face it, we live in a stimulus-rich environment.  There’s pings, blips, dots, reels, posts, on and on.  So much is vying for your attention, life becomes a game of competing urgencies.  Within seconds, you can research any given subject and get sucked into an overwhelming amount of tips, tricks, ideas, theory, and even rock-solid strategies.   And with so many ways to win, the avalanche of suggestions creates confusion and paralyzation.  When we focus on everything, we accomplish nothing! 
What is the second obstacle?  Focus.  More specifically, a fractured focus.  

"Focus for most people is a concept and not an activity" - Gary Keller in an interview about his book "The ONE Thing". 

A fractured focus is like looking into a kaleidoscope.  Colorful.  Vibrant.  Fun to move around and see if you can make out what the picture looks like.  And yet, it is super difficult to get any kind of forward momentum without bumping into something.  But, what’s the solution?  Especially if we took the time to clarify our outcomes?  What causes the fractures?  

Focus is a habit.  Focus is an action.  Focus takes practice.  Focus takes training.  Focus takes consistency.  Focus warrants protection.  

The most fundamental piece in most of my conversations is the direction of focus.  It is our mind’s natural habit to search and find what we need to move away from.  Moving away is not the direction of focus that top performers use.  Top performers focus on what they are moving toward. When I make statements like this in our Momentum Weekend Events, participants will usually begin to stir in their head…  “Is this positive mental psychology?” “Are you saying I should ignore the threats?” “Do you believe that we can wish away all the bad stuff?” … 

Understand something… there is a difference between Focus and Awareness.  If I am going to grow a rose, then my focus is on the rose.  My awareness is on the weeds.  My dominant energy will go in providing what the rose needs to grow.  When my awareness exposes weeds, I rip them out of the ground with fury.  Where we go wrong is when we focus on the weeds and keep our awareness on the possibility of a rose growing.  You might just end up with daisy and just accept that as all you wil ever get.  That’s a tragedy if a rose is what you really wanted.  

Start asking yourself the question, what am I really after right now?  In THIS moment.  What is the outcome I am moving toward?  Ask the question every time you feel like you are drifting from your clear and compelling outcome.  

Let me know how that works.  

About Spencer Combs:

Spencer Combs is a business leader and author of Momentum and Mastery: The Business Leader's Guide to Fastrack Unshakeable Profit, Productivity, and Purpose. With a passion for helping others transform their challenges into opportunities, Spencer offers unique insights through his events, coaching programs, and daily text messages.


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