The Uncommonsense Blog The Confidence of Clarity, Focus and Indomitable Will

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Posted: 1/5/2009

The Confidence of Clarity, Focus and Indomitable Will

I was thinking about how to start the blogs this year without resorting to the trite sayings about your "Best Year Ever" and all the metaphors about turning disaster into triumph. It occurred to me that those are actually the results or by products of some thinking that goes on behind the scenes and the energy that comes with it. The real power in the coming year is all inside the space between your ears and the structure you create to generate and perpetuate that power. That space plus incredible teamwork and you have all the capabilities that you need.

I think there are three things that you can do as a human to maintain a huge sense of confidence about what's going to happen in your future this year and how you are going to stay in charge of it. All three things are within your power, control and ability. Let me explain:

1. The World is the World- You didn't create the good luck you experienced and you aren't responsible for the bad luck that you may be experiencing now. Life is much more random than you ever imagined and I can assure you that despite your beliefs about what you can do, the world doesn't know that you are in it and isn't arranging itself to help or hurt your causes or goals.

2. There's nothing new in this set of crisis situations that the media continues to perpetuate. The Middle East has been fighting for 2000 years and they will continue to fight for another 2000. Part of the reason is that neither side can focus on value creation but instead on value extraction, primarily from each other.. The current financial crisis is 1978, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, and 1998 repackaged with the same players. The same distrust that led to liquidity issues in those eras is here today. It will pass. Even thieves eat dinner together after a while. The fact of the matter is that those crisis have really nothing to do with you unless you're exporting OPEC OIL, borrowing money from Hank and friends, or are a potentail cabinet selectee. Perhaps if Russia is your gas supplier you might have a problem but other than that....

3. Your future depends more on your plans than someone else's headlines. Today's news is like yesterday's history...it's just someone's perspective about what's going on and it may not be either relevant, accurate, or inclusive of a bigger picture. Make your own headlines. As my friend, Dan Sullivan would say: Facts are not trends and facts are not certainties. Sometimes facts aren't even facts.

Here's what I think you focus on while acknowledging what is going on in the world but not indulging it.

1. Confidence- You have to protect your confidence at all costs. It is the single most important investment of energy that you can make. Surround yourself with people, ideas, projects, and support that transform your apprehension about the future this year into concrete plans and goals. Make a decision that you will do whatever it takes to create that future. Focus only on winning, that is, focus only on what you want and not what you don't want. The philosopher Goethe wrote: "Whatever you would do, begin it, courage has boldness, genius and magic in it". Never ever retreat.

2. Clarity- Be clear about the results that you want, the value you want to create, and the outcomes that will be possible to measure. Start a half perfect plan with whole perfect enthusiasm and be prepared to adjust along the way. Be flexible, adaptable, and innovative as the world gives you information to move forward. Trust me here, NO ONE, has any absolute clarity about what is going to happen in the world. My belief is that the world continues and you continue and prosper with it, otherwise, just leave now.

3. Focus- Focus on what you can control and forget the rest. You can control your perspective, energy, conversation, thoughts, and actions. Build a quadrangle of control on what you can do to stay focused on the accomplishments you want. Do not listen to the cannots, will nots, should nots, maybe nots. Just focus and get it done.

4. Idomitable will- Develop an iron will and indomitable spirit about everything. If it's easy, do it easy, if it's hard, do it hard, just get it done. Stop asking for it to get easier and start training to be better. The interesting thing I've observed about the United States over the last 30 years is that people actually risk their lives to come here because of the belief that anything is possible. It's because we live here that we think it isn't. Refuse to let anything, any circumstance, any obstacle, stand in the way of you getting what you want for yourself or the people that you care about.

Somewhere, halfway around the world there is an 8 year old who has made breakfast for his two siblings and who will walk with them five miles or more to a school where they will write with the barest of instruments. They will eat whatever they can find and drink what is availalble with just the belief that there's a bigger future if they keep on doing those things. There is nothing to support those efforts except the hope that they are worthwhile efforts and the belief that they are worthwhile recipients. My point here is this: The WORST DAY in this country is a DREAM DAY for the rest of the planet. Just stop the whining and get on with it.

There is an energy in confidence, clarity, focus and will. Make the Gods who run the Universe give you what you want this year or make them die trying to stop you from getting it. As I recover from this little brain tumor thing I imagine the Gods are up there thinking: "You know, maybe we should back off a little, let him get better, and then when he is , he'll forget about what we did and won't come looking for us".

My response to that: "Nope. The Gods are who I"m going after first."

Life ultimately is struggle and its goal is domination. Their are higher goals and deeper meanings but the reality of life is a continual process of becoming in small wars that each of us face on a daily basis. Every victory counts and every foot forward means something. Treat despair about the world ,if you have it with defiance, and resolve that since you are here you will play and act like that is all that matters. The support and resources that you need in the coming year are already there. They just have to be sold on you and your intent to use them.

Make sure this year you have something that you will stake your existence on: Family, work, community, church, or cause.. It has more energy than you ever imagined. My experience has been that nothing can stop a soul that will stake even existence on the extent of its purpose.

I think you will discover the same.