How To Stay Focused And Motivated
By Rene Godefroy

Do you remember a time when you had a big and lofty dream? Maybe you wanted to be a movie star in art house films, an organ transplant doctor, or a world-class triathlete. Perhaps you dreamed of crossing the ocean in a sailboat or chiseling sculpture out of mountain rock.

As a youngster, you may have worked hard toward achieving that dream. You talked about it with your every acquaintance and most distant relation whenever you had the opportunity. But slowly you drifted away from your heart's desire. What happened?

The answer is easy: You got distracted! You got confused. Your friends enticed you into joining their parade. You were no longer in rhythm with who you are.
The law of momentum in physics says that a body in motion tends to remain in motion until an outside force acts upon it. Distractions.

Your friends or family members acted upon you by overtly discouraging you, or by encouraging you to follow a more "sensible" path. So you stopped practicing, stopped studying, stopped working toward your highest ambition. All those distractions and "sensible" decisions competed for your attention. Your grand dream gradually became just a footnote in the history of your life.

Have you ever heard the truism that says "used to bees make no honey"? Do you know people who are always talking about what they used to do? They usually say, “Someday I will pick it up again.” But that's a weak excuse for avoiding the risk of living your dream.

The time is now! When you have a worthy goal—something that is worth going after, you have to apply the law of critical success to your life. This law says that you should always be doing something that moves you closer to your goal. Question: What are you doing today that is drawing you a little bit nearer to accomplishing your dream?

Shakespeare wrote, “This above all, to thine own self be true.” Bravo, Mr. Shakespeare! Being true to yourself means that you do what matters most to you, regardless of what else is competing for your time. Our deeds and achievements are the only yardsticks we can use to measure our integrity, and the only evidence we can use to judge whether we have been true to our selves.

From now on, why not put the law of momentum into action? It is said that motion creates emotion. When you take action toward that which you most desire, your self-confidence will soar. Distractions shift you off-course or slow you down; actions accelerate you forward along your chosen course.

Every action strengthens you to take another. You will become unstoppable! You will liberate yourself from guilt and self-pity. You will become the envy of the world. Many people never commit to anything. They have interests and hobbies, but no passion or driving ambition. I believe that you are one of those people who can commit; otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article.

Life is like a bicycle. The moment we stop pedaling, we start losing momentum. If we coast for too long, we fall. Resolve to press on in spite of all your distractions.
Here is what you can do to get whatever you want in life: First, identify your distractions and move away from them.

By doing so, you will become effective rather than merely efficient. Being effective means doing the right things, while being efficient means doing things right. It's nice to be efficient, but it doesn't do you any good if you're not doing the things that will move you toward your dream. Focus first on being effective; let efficiency come as it may.

Second, write the word MOMENTUM in big letters and hang it somewhere that you will see it often. Do something daily that will bring you closer to your goal.
Third, make a public commitment by asking your friends—those who are positive and encouraging—to hold you accountable. Talk about your dream with them to begin edging it into the world. Speak of it as something that you are doing, not something that you think about doing.

Finally, learn all you can about the lore of your passion. If you are not, at the least, more knowledgeable than the average person about the subject of your dream, you are fooling somebody—yourself.

So, my friend, live your finest ambition. Do it because you must. You probably won’t find any help when you begin. You will, however, get all the help you want when you are already there. So be true to thine own self. Honesty is the iron string that vibrates within every heart. Let results be the measure of your integrity. Work hard at it. Do more than is expected, more than is common. Keep the momentum going!