Passion and Focus

I was strolling through the channels one Saturday afternoon in 1996, looking for a basketball game.  Hoping to check out Jordan and his Bulls do their thing, I paused for a moment as I came across supercross on ESPN and was introduced to McGrath...I was hooked.

I was planning the first year of races I wanted to hit after testing the waters the prior September with a race in Rupert.  I figured it would take $1,100 to cover my required expenses for this, with many nay-sayers I raised $1,600.00 in sponsorships.  I didn't eventually turn pro through speed and ability.  I achieved the level through hard work, constant training and practice.  I also put a race program together that earned me $10k to 20k a year for my racing. 

When I took over my first agency I was quickly passionate and fixed on helping others with Life insurance to protect families.  My competitive nature sought out competition in this passion.  The prior agent from the agency I had taken over used to brag how he had sold 47 policies in his first year as an agent.  I sold 48.  When I was congratulated for this I was also told in passing that nobody could sell 100 policies in a year, this at a dinner in December with a fellow agent and my DM.  In the following year I was officially ranked 1st in the state and 25th of 12,000 in the nation with 103 policies sold.

I don't write this to brag or pat myself on the back...

A lot of people ask me how?  My answer is first you have to be passionate.  You have to have a deep desire and motivation for what you seek.  Second and most important you have to be focused.  Focus is the true key to success.  The number one enemy is distraction; not enough time, other tasks come up, others occupy my attention, and whatever excuse you may have are all distractions that divert your focus.  You have to prioritize and passion makes that easier.  Passion allows you to block the distractions and have more of a tunnel vision to focus.

I bring up my past because it's a reminder of what I'm capable of accomplishing.  God has truly blessed me in the abilities he's given me and what they've allowed me to do.  My past is a carrot in front of me to remind myself not to squander those abilities as I push forward with new goals and challenges.  I recently found an excellent You Tube video that also serves as a great reminder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJWIRyUAur8