“That’s it, I’m done!” This is what a young professional golfer named “Ben” told his wife “Valerie” after a frustrating day on the course.
At the end of the second round of The Oakland Open golf competition, Ben was in the last place. To make matters worse, Ben & Valerie were down to their last $50.
Valerie sat him down and with a calm tone of voice told him that he was a great golfer. She encouraged him not to give up because he would eventually begin making money on the pro tour.
Inspired by Valerie’s words, he went out the next day and finished in the top 16 of the tournament!
Within the next two years, he won three consecutive PGA Tour events. As a result of his victories, he received several lucrative endorsement deals which put an end to his financial woes.
Today, Ben Hogan is in the PGA Hall Of Fame and is considered one of the greatest golfers of all time.
Valerie was successful in reminding Ben of what was possible. The key to experiencing your breakthrough is to place more focus on the possibilities than you do the problems.
At this point, you may be thinking: “Great story Twiggs, but when I look at my business, my bays, and my bank account, all I see are problems!”
Well, stay with me to learn two strategies to shift your focus from the problems to the possibilities.
Stay Open to Proximity
I felt frustrated one Friday while driving to the office. When I looked out at the traffic around me, all I saw were problems. Nothing but congestion and delays at every turn. When I viewed the vehicle ahead of me, all I saw were problems.
I noticed that the driver was angrily pointing a “certain finger” in my direction, after cutting in front of me.
My feelings changed after I glanced at my passenger side mirror. I could see the image of a successful, content, and prosperous-looking man. He was driving a shiny black Bentley. As I took a closer look, I noticed the man looked a lot like me.
As I looked over at my passenger side mirror, I got excited as I read the following words that were written at the bottom: objects in mirror are closer than they appear! This is why you must always stay open to proximity!
The official Eric Twiggs dictionary defines proximity as the nearness in time. You have to stay open to proximity because you never know how close you are to that breakthrough you’ve been waiting for!
You may look at your bank account and feel like giving up. But it’s possible that one returned phone call from that major fleet account can change your financial position.
You may look in the mirror and see someone who’s tired of having to work IN your bays. It’s possible that making one good hire will allow you to work ON your business and ultimately go ON that vacation!
Staying open to proximity is the first strategy to help you experience your breakthrough.
Focus Like a Millennial
In his book, Overnight Success: An inspiring story about Culture, Results, and The American Dream, Morris Morrison tells the story of an experiment he conducted while attending a high school football game.
As he sat in the stands, he noticed that everyone around him had their eyes glued to their smartphones. Even the people who were walking to get to their seats!
He laid several twenty-dollar bills on the ground in plain sight, just to see how everyone would respond. Thirty minutes went by without anyone noticing the money on the ground.
Finally, after thirty minutes, a young lady looked up from her phone long enough to notice the money and reach for it. Imagine how your life could change, if you keep your eyes glued to your goals like millennials do their phones.
Studies show that the average millennial looks at their smartphone screen once every 12 minutes. Where could your business be if you looked at your goal poster every 12 minutes?
The average millennial checks Facebook from their phone 14 times a day. What if you looked at your annual goals 14 times a day?
80% of millennials check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up each morning. Imagine the possibilities, if you made reviewing your goals the first thing you did after waking up each morning.
The best time to review your goals is right after you experience a setback. Keeping your goals in front of you will help you put your failure behind you. Focusing like a millennial will shift your focus from the problems to the possibilities!
Conclusion
So, there you have it. If you stay open to proximity and focus like a millennial, you will shift your focus from the problems to the possibilities.
What’s possible for you?
P.S. Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to receive The 5 Simple Strategies to Keep Your Goals in Front of You!