focus, negativity, positivity, results
It is very easy to get caught in the trap of focusing on the negative aspects of life. This leads you to believe that your life is a lot worse than it actually is. By changing your focus, and focusing on what you have rather than what you lack, you can increase your positivity. Having a more positive, optimistic outlook helps you to spot opportunities to squeeze more of the good stuff out of life.
How Kieran changed his results by changing his focus
My friend Kieran owns a
gym. This has proved very useful for me as it means great advice on training and nutrition along with somewhere to train, are close to hand. In 2010 I had just returned to Ireland after 4 years out of the country. At that time Kieran was finding things tough with his business. It had been a very difficult year for Kieran, as it was for most Irish businesses, due to the Irish economy beginning to unravel. Many people were offering Kieran suggestions for how he could improve or add to his business. However, due to the circumstances, Kieran found himself in a negative mindset which as many people could testify is not Kieran's default state. All he could focus on was the negatives of his business. Such was the negativity, that no matter what was being suggested, Kieran had one standard response:
90% of people who go to a gym are looking for steam rooms and saunas etc.
I have no idea how accurate this statistic is but Kieran does not have a steam room or sauna at his gym and so he was focusing on what his business could not offer to the public. You get what you focus on in life and as long as Kieran was focusing on reasons why people might not want to join then he would fail to attract new custom. Thankfully, after many long conversations I managed to get Kieran to focus on what he had to offer to customers and to focus on the 10% who were not looking for steam rooms and saunas. He soon began to realise that he had many things to offer including knowledge, skills, years of experience, passion and enthusiasm. He also had an excellent range of equipment which could be used to help people achieve their goals. He realised that his gym was not about image, it was about results.
Kieran began many new initiatives at the gym. He identified a number of key clients, who could help to demonstrate the results that he could help people achieve. He tried a number of new business ideas; some worked, some didn’t. He has now added a range of classes for both men and women and has identified new areas of business for coming years.
The changes in Kieran and his business over the last few years are immense. He has experienced the best year in the more than 10 year history of his business and he is now more receptive to the suggestions offered by his clients. When I last talked to him I could sense a level of excitement that he had not shown in some time. Such magnificent change has been achieved with just one small change i.e. rather than focus on what his business might lack, Kieran now focuses on what he has to offer and making the most of it.
When Kieran chose to focus on the positives, rather than the negatives, the results were powerful. This is a common occurrence for those who work to change their focus. Why not take the time to identify the areas of your life where you have a negative focus and work on changing that? See the benefits for yourself.
One of the keys to focus is setting effective goals. Learn how with the
Ultimate Guide to Goal Setting.