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July 24, 2008
 You're working your tail off trying to create a business that will make a profit. Maybe you're even working smart and not just hard, but yet you constantly feel like you're on a treadmill and not getting anywhere. How many times have you watched as someone else thought up the same ideas as you had, ideas that you could never find the time or money to act on, ideas that you knew would not only work but be extraordinarily successful, how many times have you watched as others took those same ideas and made them a reality, their reality? It's frustrating, very frustrating. Kind of like watching your best friend always get the girls you like.
I've not conducted any study on percentages of people who have this problem, but I'll bet its pretty high among those people who actually try to better their situation in life. What's more, I'd wager that it may even parallel, or track, intelligence. In other words, smarter people may experience this more often than average or even less than average people. Why? I'll answer that in a second, after I make a somewhat educated guess at the cause.
What do I think causes this? - Lack of focus on one project,
- Trying to do too many things at once,
- Thinking you're superman or superwoman
This causes you to never finish anything, or if you do, it takes you forever. Instead of completing one thing, doing it well, and then moving on to the next thing, you split your time and you split your focus, and by doing so, you loose.
That's why smarter people may suffer this problem more often, because they think they can juggle all their different projects and keep all the balls in the air - they try too hard. A person of lesser smarts may know that they can't handle it and may naturally choose to finish one thing at a time. And they come out ahead.
You think I'm nuts? I'm not. I know a lot of really smart guys who should be rich, wealthy beyond their wildest dreams, but they're not. They have had some great ideas. They have the ability to create and implement. Yet they still just scrape by. I also know a lot of people who may not be as gifted intellectually, yet they have succeeded.
Get your shovel
Picture two people who each have to dig a long ditch. They only have one regular shovel each. The first guy spends an hour or so each day digging and the rest of the time trying to invent a better shovel, or build an excavator out of an old riding mower and spare parts he found laying around. The second guy spends all but an hour or two of each day digging. He spends a little time each day looking around for a better digging device and sharpening the edge of his shovel, but most of his time he spends digging. Who do you think finishes their ditch first? Guy number two wins. Heck, guy number one may NEVER get his ditch finished!
Which type person are you, guy number one, or guy number two?
Guy number two finishes his ditch and by doing so allows water to flow from a pond to his corn field. He now can grow a much larger crop of corn than he could before, enough corn that he has more than he can eat and can even sell a sizable amount. This gives him enough money to plant more corn and some other vegetables. He clears more land, digs more ditches, buys a tractor, buys a pickup truck, and hires a few helpers. The cycle continues until he has created a very successful business and lives a good life. All because he focused on getting one thing accomplished and accomplished well, and then moving on to the next thing.
Each step leads to another and another and another.
I remember going on long hikes in Boy Scouts. We'd always ask the Scout Master how much longer until we're there. If he'd given us the full answer, we probably would have sat down and given up. Instead he would say just over that hill or just up around that bend. It's amazing how much ground you can cover when you're not worried about how far you have to go. By concentrating on small steps you can achieve anything.
While it's tempting to try and act on every idea you have that you think might be successful, it's not the smart thing to do. Write them down so you don't forget them, but, as painful as it may be to let that new idea just sit there, let it. Finish the ditch you're digging now before starting the next one.
Until next time,
Fred
About the Author
Fred Black is an experienced programmer, web site developer, online business operator, systems integrator, father, husband, musician, and songwriter. Visit his Internet Business Blog at: http://www.pqInternet.com.
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Posted by Fred on July 24, 2008 | Printer-Friendly
TrackBack: http://www.pqInternet.com/Blog/mt-tb.cgi/152
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Life & Law of Attraction
| Truth and Freedom
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Comments:
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Fred,
Thank you for this post.
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Yep. You found me. I'm guy number one alright.
But, I don't think (there I go thinking again :)) you've quite hit the nail on the head as to *why*. (Or, at least, described it fairly). In my case I can focus on something quite well. Then, when I least expect it, a new idea hits me like a pie in the face and completely rips my focus away. (It's as if the new idea is actually alive).
This "gift" not something "intentional", and perhaps not even preventable, it's just something that happens. I can no more turn off the creative portion of my brain than I can stop breathing. So, I have to just "let it ride". Sure, I temporarily table projects, but I do eventually complete (most of) them.
Thanks for writing a great post.
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Thanks Fred for a very inspiring post. I too am guilty of not focusing enough on one particular project and I do unfortunately still read a lot of emails telling me to buy some other get-rich-quick idea. I don't actually buy them but it does divert my attention from what I'm working on.Lately at least I have been far more focused and at last making some progress.
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Fred,
Your insight and intelligence never fails to amaze me! This is a secret that many people, both highly intelligent and average, fail to understand. We need big ideas and dreams but we also need the focus to take the daily and hourly steps that get us to that goal. Thank you for the reminder.
Vangie
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Hi Fred, as others before have said, you hit the nail on the head. I for sure am guilty of doing just so and I would not consider myself very extra intelligent either. ADD, maybe :). Maybe a lot of us suffer from this malady because of our TV conditioning. Something to think about.
Question though. Where did you get your grey box script and is it something you can share with us loyal followers?
Great going, again.
Justin
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The part about small steps is right on. This helped me immensely back in the day. Now all I worry about is BIG ones. thanks...
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In my case it's because I mistakenly believed it was what you knew and how hard you worked that enabled you to get ahead. Being rational in the workplace will not get you to the top.
Who you know, how you suck up, how dishonest you can be, what you can steal credit for while discrediting others, these are the ways to the top.
I never liked playing the game because I didn't know the rules, and when I learned them they made me sick.
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