Success Advice
How A Lack Of Focus Kept My Friend Broke For 6 Years.
I see a lot of people who are not focused. They’re trying to do too many things and then wondering why nothing sticks.
My friend is one of these unfocused people. We worked together six years ago and when we parted ways, he was left broke (again). Six years on, he’s only just got out of being broke in the last few months.
His lack of focus
In the last six years, he’s done the following:
– Tried to start various tech companies
– Led an FX business
– Attempted a few property deals
– Looked for ways to make money with cryptocurrency
The list goes on and on. He keeps trying to do everything and it’s kept him broke permanently.
He broke the cycle.
How did he get out of this rut? He went back to his roots. See he’s a property genius at heart. If there’s one thing he knows better than anyone it’s property. He see’s opportunities in property that no one else does. When people see a disaster, he sees a property with potential.
He knows when to buy, how to buy, who will buy it from him later, where to buy, the work that needs to be done and the rough costings of a new development. He can do all of this on the back of an envelope.
Since he was a little boy, he’s read the back of his dad’s newspapers and analyzed the property section. Property runs in his family and through his veins. When his property business when bankrupt more than a decade ago, he lost his way. He forgot his calling.
Then his brother stepped in.
Like me, his brother knew he was a genius in property. After seeing him fail every year and his wife and three children suffer as a result of it, he offered a solution.
His brother asked him if he’d like to earn a six-figure salary looking for property deals for him. My friend accepted the offer and shifted all of his focus away from his other bogus projects back to property again.
He’d ignored property for so long and it was there the whole time waiting for him. He tried to focus on so many different hobbies and ideas instead of the one that he knew was his calling. This opportunity his brother gave him got him out of being broke.
He then had some success picking some golden property sites for his brother and found his mojo again.
The time then arrived.
One deal that he was recently working on required more work than usual. It was an opportunity to bring in investors and partner. My friend asked me whether it was right to ask his brother for equity in the deal.
I told him that he needs to understand his value and bring that to the table. He responded that he had no money to put in so he felt asking for equity was wrong.
I then explained to him this little concept:
Your value is not determined by how much money you have. The greatest value you have has nothing to do with money.
The value each of us has is in our ability to find something to focus on, pursue it and love the process at the same time. Money is the least valuable thing any of us has to offer.
With that piece of advice, he’s taken equity in the deal and now has his regular salary. He’s also got a few opportunities to use this newfound focus of property again to make some money on the side.
Why a lack of focus hurts?
My friend did so poorly for six years because his focus was everywhere. He tried to focus on things that he didn’t care about and avoided focusing on his passion because he’d failed at it once before.
What he’s taught me and what he can teach all of you, is that you can’t avoid your passion.
“If you love something you have to focus on it and not let failures along the way stop you”
Diverting your focus to other pursuits because you failed is not a solution. Eventually, like my friend, you’ll end up going back to that one thing you love.
It’s painful when things blow up in your face and don’t go the way you want but you can’t let that distract you from your focus. If you love property, then go do it. If you love writing, then go do it. If you love playing sport, then go do it.
Expect things to go wrong.
Allow things to go wrong.
Never let things going wrong take you away from your focus.
Focus changes it all.
What I have loved seeing about my friend’s situation is that his focus has now become laser sharp. When someone comes to him with a business idea, he ignores it unless it’s property. He knows that the long game of following his dream is more important than short-term success.
He knows that distractions are guaranteed but his decision to stay focused is within his control. You have to be disciplined to be focused.
“You cannot ignore what you are destined to do although you should ignore what other people believe you’re destined to do”
My friend’s life has been changed for good because he’s stopped his habit of being unfocused. Property will take some for him to succeed at again and that’s fine. He can’t avoid property any longer and he now sees the benefits of being focused on it.
What’s your focus?
There’s something that above all else is the most important thing to you. Maybe, like my friend, you’ve failed at it and tried to focus on lots of other distractions. My challenge to you is to get back on track again.
Focus your time on that goal or that passion you have. Stop letting other people give you their ideas and their dreams. Focus on the work you know deep down you must do and accept the low points as part of the commitment to being focused.
If you don’t start to become focused, you too could have a six-year low point like my friend. It’s unnecessary and focus can help you win back your life.
Focus is everything.