Have you ever had the feeling that anything you set your mind to do, you could achieve? History shows us that very little is impossible for us when we are focused and determined. One of the greatest challenges I face in life is the challenge of focus and concentration. Where I have been disciplined and focused, I have been successful. Even when I read of those who made great discoveries and accomplished great feats, I see that they used the inner tools of focus, concentration, and determination to harness the power of their external world. You might say that internal focus was needed to achieve external success.
The persons who invented eyeglasses, telescopes, and microscopes learned that improved vision required strengthening or aiding our ability to focus. Focused minds throughout history have discovered ways to harness and focus the energy in our world that allows us to be so productive and connected in our world today. Whether we talk about steam, electrical, water, solar, wind, nuclear, gas, or any other form of energy, we have focused and harnessed them for our use.
It seems however, that the more we harness the power of our external world, the less we control ourselves. Our smart phones, which should enhance our intelligence, often become a substitute for it. Our social media, which has the potential to make us more sociable and interconnected, often becomes a vehicle for antisocial and divisive behavior. When we discipline ourselves from within, in every dimension of our lives, our power to control ourselves, our lives, and our world increases exponentially.
As we become self-managers, disciplined for success, we show our children how to manage themselves. If we do not learn to discipline ourselves, we will be controlled by phones that are smarter than us, artificial intelligence that rules us, and desires and fears that weaken us. In a sense, we will have conquered the world and lost ourselves in the process. It is time to refocus!