Chris Widener's Ezine
September 9, 2009
Issue 121

Welcome!

This week’s holiday (Monday was Labor Day in the United States) got me thinking about the idea that you can spend less time at work and get more done. Sound too good to be true? It really isn’t! In fact, studies show that after a certain amount of hours at work each week, the average worker hits diminishing returns for their labor.

Here are a couple of reasons this is true.

Family drain. Does your spouse or family complain that you work too much? This puts strain on you when you’re at work and limits your effectiveness. Cutting out five or more hours a week and spending them with your family will make them happier, and that will make you happier, too, enabling you to enjoy your work more and get more done. A healthy home life helps ensure a happy work life.

Mental fatigue. Remember the old saying, “All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy”? After a certain amount of time at work, your brain goes on autopilot and begins to work ineffectively. Taking more time to relax and have fun will put you at a higher level of performance when you do go to the office. Get some exercise, take up a hobby, but take some more time off. It will help your work become more effective!

You Are Made For Success!
Chris Widener

P.S. Today's issue is going out to 116,284 subscribers. If you've gained value from what you read in my Ezine, then I would like to thank you in advance for forwarding this issue to friends, family and associates!

In This Issue.......

1. Charting Your Course to Success Article
2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary
3. The Last Word...
4. The Dream Team of Personal Achievement
5. More Information

1. Charting Your Course to Success Article

The Secret to Intense Focus by Chris Widener

One of the common elements you see in almost all successful people is focus. They saw what they wanted to achieve, and they focused in on it like a laser. Then, when they become famous, and we, the common folk, know their name, we are amazed at the focus they have.

Focus will set two people apart who have equal skills.

What I am about to say may appear to be blasphemous to some: Tiger Woods is not that much more highly skilled than the other top PGA players! No, I haven’t lost my marbles. Take any of the big names, stick them on any course and on any given day, and they can shoot a 65 for 18 holes. You see, it isn’t whether they can—they all can—it is whether or not they do. And that is determined mostly by F-O-C-U-S.

Watch Tiger sometime in a close race to the finish. Watch when he hits a bad shot. Does he fall apart and grumble to anyone who will listen? No! In fact, it is almost eerie to watch him lock back in, even more focused than ever. That is what makes him a champion. I truly believe it is Tiger’s focus that has distinguished him from the rest of the field to become the best golfer ever.

The same is true with others who achieve great things, even in crucial and highly tense situations. Think John Elway in those final minutes of those games he brought the Broncos back in. Think of all of those last-second shots that Michael Jordan took (that everyone in the entire arena knew he was going to take—including the other team). These are classic examples of focus.

So what can the average person do to increase their focus? There are some things you can do to train yourself. You may never be Tiger Woods on the golf course or in the office, but you can increase your focus to where it needs to be to give you the success you desire.

In the remaining part of this article, I want to show you how to stay away from a common mistake and turn toward a discipline of focus that will be the first step in greatly enhancing your ability to focus. I will show you a practice technique that will greatly enhance your focus and your performance.

The myth is that, to focus, we must push other things out of our mind. For example, people will say to an athlete, “Don’t listen to the fans.” Or someone will say to another, “Don’t think about…” This doesn’t work! For example, right now, do not picture your car. You thought of it, right? Exactly. This myth actually gets you to focus on exactly what you don’t want to focus on!

Instead, the secret to intense focus is to set your mind intently on what it is you want to focus in on. For example, let’s say you are standing over a 10-foot putt. (I’m hoping we have some golfers here—and if not, make the changes you need to, but you should get the point.)

What do you want to focus on? Making that putt! So what are the elements you should be aware of? Focus on them. But go beyond mere observation. Most people just look at the line of the putt, take a guess on how hard to hit and then fire away.

Here are some other things to do: (Remember the process here is to get you highly aware of your surroundings and to focus with intensity.)

Look at the hole. Is the plastic cup even with the top of the grass or is it sunken in? How much? Bet you never noticed that before. Does the grass tip in at the edge or is it even? How long is the grass between you and the hole? Does it waver in length from foot to foot?

Is there sand along the way in your path? How much? What color? What size? Is it even or just for a section?

Are there any bugs sitting on the ground between you and the hole? Does the hill go up or down at all? Not significantly—you would have already noticed that—but even slightly?

Is there a slight wind? Can you feel it blowing on your face?

Lastly, imagine that ball rolling along that path, curving slightly if it has to, and falling in the hole. I mean, really create that movie in your head and watch it!

You may ask, “Chris, is this the secret to making your putts?” No, but it’s an example of how to focus. Be observant. Notice. Focus. Lock into your focal point(s).

The same could be done at a business meeting with all of the people there, what questions they are asking, what points are being made, what may come next, what everyone is wearing, why they chose that outfit for this meeting, what they were trying to accomplish, etc.

The myth of most focus advice is to try to not focus on bad things.

The secret to intense focus is to focus to a higher degree than you normally do on the “good things”—the things you are trying to accomplish!

Give it a try for a week. Focus intensely on what you want to accomplish. Bring yourself to a much higher degree of awareness of the surroundings, etc., and see for yourself the power behind this methodology!

Then, when you have taught yourself to do this for practice, it will become a part of you and you will start to do it naturally, and that will be an incredible day!

—Chris Widener

Chris Widener interviews a “Dream Team” of personal-achievement experts in a special video series. Watch a brief video clip introducing the series and see the special offer that can save you more than 86%!

2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary

“Put off thy cares with thy clothes; so shall thy rest strengthen thy labor, and so thy labor sweeten thy rest.” —Francis Quarles

Chris’s Commentary:
When you think of successful people, you tend to think of people who are driven. People who never rest. People who don’t ever stop. But I think we need to review this thought. Quite simply, we can desire to go forever, but these old bodies of our just can’t! In fact, they were designed to go hard and then rest and refuel so they can go hard again. To not give your body, your mind and emotions, and, yes, your spirit, a rest is to undermine the very success you desire. If we don’t give our bodies a rest, they will take one on their own. Instead, rest so you can be strong for your labor and labor hard so you can enjoy your rest.

Action Point:
Here is a challenge: Every so often, take a three-day weekend to do nothing but rest. Your work will be there on Monday and you will be stronger for the week. You work hard and you deserve a rest. Besides, your body will thank you for it.

3. The Last Word...

Success Is Not an Accident by Brian Tracy

Success is not a miracle, nor is it a matter of luck. Everything happens for a reason, good or bad, positive or negative. When you are absolutely clear about what you want, you only need to copy others who have achieved it before you, and you will eventually get the same results that they have.

This is referred to in the Bible as the Law of Sowing and Reaping, which says, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that also shall he reap.”

Sir Isaac Newton called it the third principle of motion. He said, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

For us, the most important expression of this universal law is that, “Thoughts are causes and conditions are effects.”

Put another way, “Thought is creative.” Your thoughts are the primary creative forces in your life. You create your entire world by the way you think. All the people and situations in your life have only the meaning you give them by the way you think about them. And when you change your thinking, you change your life—sometimes in seconds!

The most important principle of personal or business success is simply this: You become what you think about most of the time.

It is not what happens to you, but how you think about what happens to you, that determines how you feel and react. It is not the world outside of you that dictates your circumstances or conditions; it is the world inside you that creates the conditions of your life.

—Brian Tracy

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4. The Dream Team of Personal Achievement

Now, you can watch, listen to and learn from a “Dream Team” of personal-achievement experts as each discusses the secrets of success and outlines the steps anyone can take to experience a more fulfilling career and satisfying life.

Watch a brief video clip introducing the experts included in this special offer!

As the host of the Made for Success television series, Chris Widener conducted dozens of one-on-one interviews with top names in personal achievement. This group not only talks the talk, they walk the walk!

Jim Rohn—considered America’s foremost business philosopher and one of the most influential thinkers of our time

Denis Waitley—respected author and expert on high-performance human achievement

Brian Tracy—today’s leading authority on the development of human potential and personal effectiveness

Mark Victor Hansen—acclaimed author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and one of the top-10 greatest motivational speakers

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Discover how these proven experts in peak performance and high achievement can help you achieve success easier, quicker and with fewer struggles.
 
Get all six one-on-one, in-depth conversations on both video and audio (6 DVDs and 6 CDs) in the Success Achievement Package for ONLY $77—that’s more than 86% off list price! PLUS, get 2 special bonuses!

Find complete details on this special offer now. But, hurry! Quantities are limited. You may also order by phone at 877-929-0439.

5. More Information

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