What is the difference between people who achieve success and those who do not? It is focus. Once we drill down into our never-ending to-do list and select a project that will grow our business or bring us satisfaction, great things can happen. Creative ideas take your professional life to the next level, and making those ideas a reality will bring great personal fulfillment.
Focus is the major ingredient in success. Focus directs you to spend your energy doing the right things that will bring you the best rewards. Too often, we are seduced into spending too much time on e-mail and other office tasks – or what I call “administravia” – and we don’t accomplish what is most important to our vision and our soul. I have had to master the art of focus to write four books and develop a series of products of my own. Below is the model I outlined to find my focus.
Follow your fascinations. This is one of the secrets in my first book, The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women. When you choose creative ideas to develop, you must choose ideas that resonate for you intuitively and get you excited. If your heart is not in it, even the best money-making idea will falter, as it lacks the force of passion.
Original Voice. Each of us is a unique person, and our original insights have value. We need to know the “why” of what we are focusing on and whom it is meant to serve or nourish. Innovative thinkers often come up with new businesses or products that meet a need that they alone have noticed.
Courage. It takes courage to commit to an idea and develop it to its full potential. The creative journey has many obstacles on its path and we must be valiant. You must be bold to continue to sell an idea that people may not yet understand.
Ultimate form. Part of project and product development is to determine the most brilliant form in which to present our revelations. It needs to be user friendly, practical, and draw attention. Working on one of these aspects at a time will give you a polished finished product.
Share your innovation. When you are ready to have your business or product examined by others, it is important to seek the right market. Find the people who need what you are offering because it meets their deepest desires. Some creators want their creative work to be community- or family-based, while others may want international impact. It is a life-altering decision.
–Gail McMeekin, Career Coach
