F O C U S
By: Gilainne Sytingco

Often times we feel lost…as if our life has no direction. We don’t know where we’re heading. We have lost our grasp on the goals and dreams we once had. We have no aims in life. It’s as if we are stuck in a rut and we can’t get out. But, it’s during these times especially that we think about success - success in general, other people’s achievements, our own accomplishments and failures. We become cynical about life…but really, what we want is just that little bit of success. The question is…How to obtain such success. The answer is simple and can be encapsulated in one single, five-lettered word: F-O-C-U-S.

A synonym for FOCUS would be PAYING ATTENTION. But, is it really that simple? What do you have to pay attention to? The subject seems so vast, doesn’t it? You could pay attention to the way you eat, the way you dress, your finances, your home, your car, your job and any other number of things. The list is endless. So what does one pay attention to?

Believe me when I say that there is a process here. First, we must decide and choose what we want to achieve. Is it better grades? Becoming more sociable? Better fashion-sense? A better car? Excelling at sports? What ever it is, you must decide on the one thing you want to achieve. Now, why is it that we have to decide? Simple. If you don’t know what you want, and if your mind is confused and messed up, then you will never get what you want. Understandably, there are a countless number of things that we all want to achieve. But, it wouldn’t do us any good if we were to decide to want to achieve all of them at the same time, because your attention would be split up between a large number of choices. It would defeat the purpose of the matter at hand, which is to FOCUS.

This brings us directly onto the next step. FOCUS. Once you have decided what it is that you want, you need to focus and pay attention to it. It’s a concept based on common sense – if you pay attention and focus on a particular activity, then it will progress. On the other hand, if you neglect it, it will regress. Think of it as a plant. In order for a plant to flourish, you need to cultivate and tend to it. Otherwise, it will simply wither and die. This is a ‘tried and done’ practice that many of us know to be true. Just think of that subject or university paper that you slacked off in. What happened? Chances are, you didn’t do very well. Well, what about that one wherein you worked, focused and studied really hard for? What happened? You (most likely) did much better, if not very well.

Focusing on what you desire may not be enough. Sometimes, you also need to pay attention to who you spend time with. Are your friends people who act as an encouragement to you? Or are they people who pull you down? Are they people who have similar desires? Or are they people who push you to do the exact opposite? Who do you associate with? I’m not telling you to ignore and leave your old friends behind. All I’m saying is that it would be to your benefit if there were some positive influences in your life…Influences who will encourage you to advance to another level. Choosing who you associate with is a large part of self-cultivation.

Hence, how and where we move in life is largely dependent on the choices we make and the actions we take. Choose what you want. Work hard and focus on it. Then you’ll get what you want. Remember: we seal our fate by the choices we make.