Running a successful business is nothing less than a race. The competition and tension in the business are always too high. You need to be focused on every little thing in order to ensure success. However, the way you focus on your business affects the success you achieve.
When you focus in the right way, your attention does not get wavered the by the hurdles in your path and you reach your goal without any trouble.
But what is the right way to focus? How can you win this race of business without any hassle? Well, there is a way. Before we get to that, let me tell you a story that will help you to understand.
Running the straight-line:
Back in the school days, I was a part of the school football team. I consider it to be one of the most valuable times of my life since it was the time when I came to know an extraordinary man who had a profound effect on my life. Our team coach Mr Reddy was one of the finest coaches in the area.
With innumerable trophies under his belt, he was confident to mould us into proper football players. But there was a problem with our team. Stamina of most of the players in our team was not too great including me.
Running extra distance during the game used to wear us off easily. So, running practice was one of the main exercises that we used to have.
However, Mr Reddy never liked the idea of running on the field. So, we often used to run on an open space amidst the greenery at the foot of a hill. One day Mr Reddy asked us to run up the hill from our usual practice ground. So, we ran through a trail covered by grass.
Once we reached the top, it felt like we are at the top of the world. The track where we usually run, the trail that we took to run to the top and everything else was beneath us.
Suddenly, our coach said: “Can you see the path that you took to climb up the hill?”
We did not understand what our coach was trying to say. So, we looked at him with a little surprise.
“Well, don’t look amazed lads. Tell me, how will you express the distance between the point from where you started to the point where you are standing now?” The coach asked.
“It’s a straight line, Coach,” I said keeping full confidence at my knowledge of geometry.
“Right you are, Abdul,” the coach said and continued “Well, look carefully now. Is it a straight line?”
As we looked carefully, we realised that our trail was not at all a straight line. It was more or less like a hyperbolic curve. The distance that we ran that day was much larger than anything we had previously covered.
As we prepared, to run down. Our coach asked us to visualise the road ahead as a straight line. He assured us if we could focus on the straight line instead of the road we will be able to reach our goal.
Climbing the hill:
It was really an eye-opener for me. I realised if we shift our focus from the distance that we need to cover to the straight line or on our plan to reach our goal then we will never have any problem in realizing our goal.
And if you ever feel unconfident, then just climb up the feel to visualize the road you need to cover as a straight line to forge ahead with confidence.
It was one of the vital life lessons that Mr Reddy taught us and it will always help in achieving success.
