What I am reflecting?
Putting the Right Focus
I had a coaching conversation this week that stayed with me.
We were going through the person’s CliftonStrengths profile together, looking at where their talents naturally sit. And like most of us, they had a mix. Some themes near the top, full of energy and ease. Others further down, the ones that take more out of them.
Naturally, the conversation drifted toward the lower themes. What’s wrong with me here. Why am I not good at this. How do I fix this gap.
I noticed it happening, and I gently brought them back. I asked, what if we spent our time on the themes near the top instead? What if the question isn’t how do you fix what’s weak, but how do you use more of what’s already strong?
It’s such a simple shift. But it changes everything about where your energy goes.
I catch myself doing the same thing in my own life. Looking at the list of things I’m not good at, the habits I haven’t built, the discipline I wish I had, and pouring my attention into fixing all of it.
But here’s the thing about focus. It is one of the most limited resources we have. You cannot give your full attention to everything at once. Whatever you choose to focus on grows. Whatever you starve of attention fades.
So the real question becomes, what deserves my focus.
Not everything. Not even most things. Just the few that matter, the ones aligned with where you are naturally strong, where the effort compounds instead of just chipping away at a weakness.
This is also why saying no matters so much. Every yes you give to something outside your focus is a small tax on the thing that actually deserves your attention.
I think that’s the real work. Not becoming well-rounded. Becoming well-focused.
So as you head into this week, what is the one area where you are already strong, that if you gave it a little more focus, would move you forward the most?
Quote I’m pondering
“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” – Warren Buffett
Affirmation I used
Choice is the most powerful control I have in my life. I choose to choose.