Focus & Finish

About two weeks ago, I was seated in a friend’s car. It was late in the evening and he had offered me a lift to my office. Then I remembered to ask him for his opinion. You see, this is no ordinary man. He is very wise. Wealthy. Humble and yet generous with his ideas. Always encouraging and yet honest enough to tell you when you are on the wrong path.

“I am amidst project X and while I am at it, I was also thinking about the viability of project Y when I am done with project X. What are your thoughts on that?” I inquired.

“First finish project X and then think about Y. You see, when you involve yourself in many things, you might get confused and you won’t even finish the current project,” he advised emphatically.
“Now, for me, I am amidst project Z but even if you introduced me to a very exciting opportunity which might earn me a profit of Shs50 million in a year or so, I wouldn’t take up such a deal.

However hot a deal is, I wouldn’t touch it because it will distract me from the current project Z. In the end, I may never finish what I have already started. For me, I wouldn’t want to think about anything else until this is done” he continued.

“For me,” he went on as I paid close attention, “my advice is, focus on one thing and finish it. Then, start one thing and finish it. That way, you move forward fast,” he concluded.

Later that night, I kept thinking about his advice and how simple yet powerful it is. When I arrived home, I wrote it in my journal. To simplify the message, I used three words – ‘Focus and finish’. Now I share the same gift with you.

Truth is, I am the type that will be running multiple projects and ideas at the same time because my mind is always racing. Always cooking up some schemes and breakthrough ideas. How many are accomplished? Very few. Why? Distractions. Let me explain.

Let’s just say you have a week to enjoy your leave. To rest and rejuvenate. You get the idea to go upcountry because it’s quieter after encouragement from your friends. You start driving towards east. While on the way, you receive a text message from a friend mentioning about a hot vacation offer in the western region. You turn and start driving towards west. While mid-way through as you browse the internet at a stop over to catch the latest news on your smart phone, you see a story of how great Kidepo National Park is amazing these days and so you turn towards north. How long will it take you before you enjoy your leave?

As absurd as this may sound from a travelling perspective, the majority of us live our lives that way and wonder why we never arrive to our dreams. What will you focus on and finish today?