Staying Focused in Tough Times
I’ve been re-reading “The Power of Focus” and just picked up “The Success Principles” by Jack Canfield, plus I decided to revisit Steve Pavlina’s site to read some of my favorites there today to help motivate and re-center myself.
About 5 or 6 years ago I started losing focus in my business. I’ve been a freelance writer, website developer, programmer, consultant and several other things since 1997 but in 2005 I had a big reality hit home for me: My kids were growing up.
Until that time, all of my focus in business had been about taking care of the kids. Making sure they had good food, clothes to wear, a decent roof over their heads and all the basics that come with being a parent. Looking back at things now, I seriously believe that raising the kids well was my “purpose” during the last 20-odd years.
Once they started becoming adults though, I was completely disoriented. I didn’t know what was supposed to be next. What I was supposed to do. I couldn’t fathom what I should be working so hard for once that particular job was done.
I struggled to keep myself going anyway I could think of because I had several more years before all of the kids were grown. I did ok during that time but it was a definite struggle.
Last May our youngest moved out.
My response was to sell everything I could think of, put the important stuff in storage, and hit the road.
We camped in a tent the first month, then bought a small cargo trailer and we’ve been turning it into a pseudo camper. It’s tiny and has it’s drawbacks, but it’s enough for now.
Since I’d struggled so hard with business stuff for several years I didn’t have a lot of business or client obligations to worry about when we started traveling. But I also didn’t have as many solid, reliable income streams as I should have either. Static bills of just $200 a month was a huge help, and I’ve always been good at generating more money as needed so I didn’t worry about it too much.
Over the months since however, we’ve had a lot of ups and downs financially. The sluggish economy has been a contributor but the real reason is me. I’ve been sluggish, moody and unfocused. I’ve been struggling to figure out what my “purpose” in life now should be.
As I explored these new issues and started my journey towards studying success and self improvement I realized I’ve developed some bad habits over the years: Like trying to make money.
Trying to make money is itself a distraction. When you focus on making money, too many things will catch your eye. You’ll run around like a chicken with its head cut off, chasing down all sorts of things that look like opportunities. You’ll waste a lot of time and energy if you chase dollars.
Steve Pavlina: How to Make Lots of Money During a Recession
I’ve frequently “chased” and been distracted by money. I’ve also worked myself back into jobs multiple times. Yes as a freelancer and yes working from home, but they were jobs all the same.
The last several months are a prime example: I’ve been making ends meet by writing articles for another company. And as Steve points out in the article quoted above, I’m trading my time for dollars in that scenario too. I’m creating content for that company, getting paid just once, and letting them make money with it for years to come.
I know better than this. I’ve been a strong proponent of residual and royalty income streams almost from the start. Sometimes it feels easier to let someone else make the decisions and do the promotions than wearing all the hats myself. So I fall back into the “give me an assignment” mode… aka JOB.
This is a habit I need to break. Fast. I don’t want a job, even if it’s a job that lets me set my own hours and work from where ever I might be. I want to create and deliver the kind of value that generates income month in and month out, year in and year out. I want to do the work once and earn from it again and again. I need to stay focused on this particular desire–regardless of how tough things may be and how tight the cash flow is from one week to the next–and really make a break through for myself this year.
Tags: habits, self improvement
