[00:00] Welcome back to the Focus B show. This is Katie Sudddhart here aka the focus b. And on this show, I interview high performers and leaders around the world to discover their secrets on peak performance, productivity, mindfulness, and leadership. So if you want to take your performance and your leadership to the next level, then you're in the right place. Listen up and connect with the magic.
[00:38] So excited to be discussing one of my favorite topics, which is focus. I recently launched my book The Magic of Focus, and I'm so excited to kick off this new episode where I discuss what I wish I'd known about Focus before. The first thing I wish I'd known was that focus isn't just an ability on everyday tasks, but it's actually linked to our core purpose, our core drive and vision. I feel this is often something that's forgotten about or not taken into account, and we focus too much on this idea of productivity being highly in the zone every day. This doesn't matter if you're not 100% clear on why you're taking these actions. So the first place to begin would be, look at your long term focus. Where are you heading with these actions and these daily routines and everything you're putting into place? Is it building up to a life that you want to lead? Because if you're making amazing work and you're fantastic employee, for instance, but this isn't actually something you want to do in the long run, it's maybe time to recalibrate and reconsider. This idea of long term focus is what I covered in the second pillar of my book, Long Term Focus, which is linked on your purpose, your why. And for that, it's essential to take maybe a few weeks. If you can off and really have that introspective time to ask yourself these questions, whether it's where you want to go in your business, the overview about your health, what's important for you and your relationships. And what often happens is that we don't actually do this because we fear the change, we fear the resistance that we'll have, and we're too afraid to actually confront this. And this means that long term we end up with a life that doesn't fuel us, that doesn't satisfy us, and that isn't aligned with our values. So once in a while it's great to take some time off, some introspection, maybe discuss it with someone, have a coach or partner or therapist on the side that you can discuss this with often. It's not something we need to do all the time. Maybe once a year, if you're going through a specific transition, that's a great moment to ask yourself these questions, really reflect and tune into what's important for you. That's the first thing I wish I'd known about Focus, which is that our ability to look at where we're going purpose, our why, is actually a huge part of daily focus because it's a lot easier to be focused every day on your tasks and activities, if you have that clearly in your mind. The second thing I wish I'd known was how important breaks are. I feel that we live in this society that's constantly on the go, busy, busy, busy, rat race. And I was extremely restless, impatient, fast, and I struggled to take breaks, take time off, rest. And this is fundamental for any high performance, whether it's in your health or in your business. Having these both small breaks during and across the day, but also longer breaks over the weekends and holidays. This is fundamental to having a life that is focused, intentional, and to build that high performance. So that's the second aspect breaks, not just everyday little ones, very important for your trading rhythm, but also long term breaks. The last aspect of focus that I wish I'd known about sooner is the importance of meditation and mindfulness. There are two different concepts here. Meditation is this practice where you sit and it doesn't have to be with your legs crossed. You sit down and you focus on your breathing. You keep your eyes open, you center on a point and you just breathe in and out and focus on your breathing. There are a lot of different ways to do this. You can count your breath, you can focus on the feeling in your body, you can be present in the room. Ideally though, you want to practice without it being guided. This trains your focus to a higher level. But to begin with, or when you're going through a rougher time, it's fine to also have guided meditations. This enables you then during the day to be slightly less impulsive and to manage your stress and emotional reactions far better. I think of all the tools and tips and tricks that I've tried in my life, meditation has by far been the most powerful. And long term, the benefits just get better, more patience, more calm, more clarity and greater focus and ability to thrive. All the high performers that I know, I think every single one of them meditates. So this is not a secret exactly, but I wish I'd known and applied it sooner in my life. Mindfulness is equally fantastic, which is really this ability to be present with what you're doing at any given moment. Your meditation practice that ideally you do in the morning helps you to then be more present throughout the day. What happens is then that regularly there's some sort of mini breaks in your mind, in your activities, where you fully focus on your senses, on what's going on, on how you feel, and you come really in tune with yourself, your body, but also with people around you. It can also help you to manage very stressful situations because instead of wanting to escape, you actually land in that present moment. And this enables you to deal with the situation in a far more effective way. Mindfulness being present with your activities during the day. And this is enhanced when you have a meditation practice. There are many people, for instance, artists that are really in the flow, or athletes that think, oh, that's meditation, my meditation is running, or my meditation is singing and drawing that's mindfulness. You're fully present, you're in the flow, you're in the zone. It's amazing, it's fantastic. Meditation, on the other hand, is that ability to just sit with yourself, no distractions, no activity going on, and this trains your monkey mind and all those thoughts. So those were the three things that I wish I'd known about, focused. Firstly, that clarity, that purpose and that direction. Second of all, taking breaks both daily, but also weekends and holidays, really creating more space in your life for what's important. And the last point, which is meditation, meditation, meditation and mindfulness. Absolutely life changing. Hope you enjoyed the episode. Feel free to write a comment, tune in. Also contact me by LinkedIn to say what you've learned throughout the podcast and through these episodes. Thank you for tuning in.
[07:51] Thank you so much for tuning in today to the Focus Bee Show. I would absolutely love to hear your feedback. So let me know in an Apple review or YouTube comment what was most valuable for you, and feel free to share this episode with a friend or a family member. Wishing you a wonderful, magical and focused day ahead.