Find your focus.

In last week’s video blog (see the TEAM ECo Facebook page), I introduced one of my core concepts for success: finding your focus. I call this your BIG DEAL. I challenged you to spend some time trying to identify TWO things that you want to focus on this season. Did you do that?  If so, great!  You are read for step 2.  If not, I encourage you to find two things that will be the guiding point for 2018 and beyond.

To help you wrap your head around a “BIG DEAL,” I’ll let you in on my TWO BIG DEALS in the 2000s. This anecdote is meant to help you find YOUR BIG DEALS, it is not to claim that I did anything noble or amazing. I simply put my experience of action and results into a philosophy.

In 2001, I quit my high school math teaching position and embarked on a new journey: professional triathlete and sports science student. I picked this path because: 1) I had qualified for my pro triathlon card and 2) I was fascinated by human performance and wanted to learn as much as I could.

So, I set off on a rather unconventional path of training and studying. I discovered quickly that I had a passion for training and for learning. I also discovered that both endeavors took A LOT of focus. Stakes were high. Poor grades would derail my graduate plans. Poor performances would derail my ability to keep my pro card. I deeply cared about doing well in both. So, I decided to filter out everything else that distracted me from training and studying.

As my sport and academic career continued, I realized that my narrow focus helped me excel at both and brought me clarity and peace when forced to make decisions.

Here is an except from my 2006 journal where I reflected on the genesis of this journey.