Latest / Inspirations for Your Life / Calm thinking improves decisions (S5) S12:E2

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Calm thinking improves decisions (S5) S12:E2 · Inspirations for Your Life

0:24
Well, hey guys, good evening, it is John
0:27
C.
0:27
Morley here, serial entrepreneur.
0:29
It's Sunday, March 15, 2026.
0:32
Great to be with you.
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So it's great to have you here.
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So really, really do appreciate that.
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So we're going to get this show kicked
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off here in just a moment.
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But again, I do want to thank you
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for joining me.
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So definitely check that out.
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All right, guys.
1:20
Without any further ado, guys, let's get this
1:22
show kicked off.
1:24
Are you ready?
1:25
I know that I'm ready.
1:27
I hope you're ready.
1:28
So ladies and gentlemen, this is the Inspirations
1:32
for Your Life show.
1:35
And again, I am your host, John C.
1:39
Morley, serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video producer,
1:43
podcast host, coach, graduate student, passionate lifelong learner.
1:49
And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am going
1:51
to be an author in just a few
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months.
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Really excited about that.
1:55
So this, ladies and gentlemen, in case you
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didn't know, it is Series 5, Show 12,
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Episode Number 2.
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You know, when your vision sharpens your decision,
2:06
things improve.
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This week focuses on learning to see things
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that are actually, I'm going to say, a
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little bit deeper.
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And I think that's an important thing for
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us to realize, to have better courage and
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to live with integrity and purpose.
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Strong lives are built when awareness replaces assumption
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and intentional choice replaces drift.
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I think that's an important thing that a
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lot of people, like they don't realize that.
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So when we think about this, thinking about,
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you know, integrity, thinking about the purpose, our
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strong lives, they're built when awareness replaces assumption
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and intentional choices replace the drift.
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Configuring, ladies and gentlemen, improves decisions.
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Again, Series 5, Show 12, Episode Number 2.
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Number 1, clear direction beats rushed action.
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Every single time, hands down, okay?
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Clear direction, clear purpose.
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Intention beats the rushed action and the bad
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results that come from it.
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Number 2, steady focus builds progress.
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Steady focus builds progress.
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A little bit at a time, a little
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bit at a time, doesn't have to be
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a lot, that causes momentum to start.
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And then confidence gets built.
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And then you just keep doing it over
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and over again like it's second nature.
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Number 3, guys, patience improves timing.
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Stability strengthens leadership.
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And I think that's something a lot of
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people miss in life, that that is something
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that's very, very true.
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Stability strengthens our leadership.
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And that's a very important point that, again,
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a lot of people, they just kind of
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miss that.
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They kind of forget, like, you know, where
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it is or where it's going or things
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like that.
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And I think that's a very important thing
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for us to understand, all right?
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Number 5, guys, consistent effort produces results, okay?
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Consistent effort produces results.
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And again, it's not about having a lot
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of effort.
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It's about having consistent effort.
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That's a very, very important thing that I
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think a lot of people, you know, don't
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realize.
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They don't realize what it is or how
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it works.
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They just get all kind of, you know,
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confused.
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And I think that can be something that
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a lot of people maybe, maybe get stumped
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on.
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Number 6, guys, calm minds think clearly.
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Calm minds clink, think clearly.
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Number 8, a steady pace builds endurance.
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A steady pace builds endurance.
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So why not start with that steady pace
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now?
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Start getting strong and you'll be very happy
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with the level of success that you are
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actually starting to elicit.
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Number 9, guys, quiet reflection improves judgment.
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Quiet reflection improves judgment.
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Number 10, guys, balance protects momentum.
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Balance protects momentum.
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And again, a lot of people don't realize
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what momentum is or why things are a
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certain way.
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And I think that's because they don't understand
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their core.
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They don't understand what's going on in life.
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And I think that's a big problem for
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a lot of people.
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They want to go one way, but then
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for whatever reason, they just get lost in
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the shuffle.
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And that shuffle says, okay, I want to
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go this way, but I can't figure it
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out.
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So because of that, I'm just going to
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go any old way.
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And that's not good, right?
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Balance is a key to success.
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Number 11, focus strengthens direction.
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Discipline, number 12, supports progress.
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Our discipline supports our progress, which ultimately supports
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our success.
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Like when we get into a pattern of
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doing things, we actually enjoy what we're doing
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over and over again.
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And that creates longevity for success.
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Number 13, guys, stability.
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Number 14, guys, calm decisions reduce mistakes.
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You might have gone to Peel before and
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they feel like, you know, they're trying to
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burn the candle at both ends.
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They're working at solving a challenge, but all
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they're doing is creating more chaos.
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And people are like, this person's nuts.
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This person's not organized.
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They just start going downhill.
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Calm decisions reduce mistakes.
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Number 14, when we are calm, that spirit
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in us of being calm allows us to
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move forward with basically less or fewer mistakes.
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I think that's an important thing to realize.
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Number 15, guys, consistency builds confidence.
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Consistency builds confidence.
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Consistency builds confidence.
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And our focus helps us to go a
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certain way, but it gets us to see
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a perspective that maybe we didn't notice before,
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something that might be preventing us from doing
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something.
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Okay, that is our true, true focus.
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Our true focus happens when we understand that.
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It's not something that will just happen on
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a dime, right?
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Number 16, guys, focus reveals opportunity.
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Focus reveals opportunity.
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Number 17, guys, balanced effort sustains energy.
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Balanced effort sustains energy.
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Now, I'm not saying that effort is going
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to always be easy for you, but if
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you're in alignment with effort, you're going to
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find that the flow is going to be
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much more natural, okay?
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That's an important thing to understand, understanding like,
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you know, what that means.
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And what that means is that we all
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have a choice when we move forward.
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And staying balanced is something that we're constantly
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doing, equilibrium.
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Like in our own body, I don't know
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if you guys know this, your ears are
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a very responsible part of your body, not
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just to help you hear, but to keep
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your balance.
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You're basically your inner ear where your equilibrium
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gets controlled.
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The fluid of your ears, if they're not
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correct, well, you won't be able to walk
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very well.
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Your balance will be off.
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You might even feel nauseous.
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So balance is key, not just in everything
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we do, but even in our operations of
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how our body works.
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Number 18, guys, steady work builds success.
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Steady work builds success.
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It's not about you saying, I'm going to
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be steady today because I feel like it.
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You want to be steady all the time.
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It sets up a core foundation.
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And that core foundation allows you to move
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forward.
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Number 19, guys, calm thinking sharpens strategy.
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Calm thinking sharpens strategy.
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Number 20, guys, patience strengthens progress.
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Patience strengthens progress.
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Patience strengthens progress.
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But a lot of people get impatient because
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things are not happening now.
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So they decide they're going to get frustrated
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themselves and others.
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And it's going to do nothing, just impede
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your progress or stop you from moving forward.
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Number 21, guys, reliable habits create stability.
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When we have good habits, whether they're study
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habits, exercise habits, nutritional habits, relational habits, they
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set a standard in our life.
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And they allow us to see and experience
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that this is the kind of life we
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want.
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I've said this before, failing to plan is
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playing to fail.
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That's it, hands down.
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Number 22, guys, thoughtful action builds momentum.
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Thoughtful action, not this haphazard action.
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Thoughtful, when you elicit an action, do you
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always make sure that action is something that'll
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be welcomed?
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Or do you just do whatever you want?
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Most people just do what they want and
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they figure, well, I'll deal with it later
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because it's easier to ask for forgiveness than
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permission.
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I don't agree with that.
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I think that's a very haphazard way of
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not showing accountability.
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We've talked about that in the past.
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Number 22, guys, thoughtful action builds momentum.
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And if thoughtful action builds momentum, that means
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the process will get easier each time.
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Number 23, direction grows with clarity.
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The more that we understand something, I don't
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care whether we're talking about our schoolwork, whether
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we're talking about stuff at our job, or
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even things in relationships.
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When we understand something, it becomes clearer.
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The direction that we need to take, often
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defining our purpose, is shown to us when
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clarity becomes known.
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But clarity is not always part of the
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equation when we start because we don't know
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what it is we don't see.
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We don't know.
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So we move on and we figure that
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this is where we want to go, but
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we don't really go anywhere because we don't
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know what we're looking for.
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Hopefully that makes sense.
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Number 24, guys, focus improves performance.
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Let me see if I can give an
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example on this.
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If you're looking at an image and when
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you take the lens and you focus it,
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you can see the image.
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How about an electron microscope?
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When we focus, we can see what we're
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going to look at, and we can understand
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what things are and what they relate to.
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If things are clear or cloudy, it's like,
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well, I think it looks like this, but
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we're not sure.
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A lot of times we go through life
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with not having a clear picture.
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And I don't always mean that in our
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eyes.
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I mean in our perception, things we hear,
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see, touch, taste, smell, and feel.
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We don't get a proper sense of clarity.
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We're not able to focus because we don't
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know what to focus.
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We don't know whether it's the ring on
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the top of the microscope or it's the
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one on the bottom.
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We don't know.
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All we know is that it's blurry or
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that it's unclear.
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But what we are supposed to make clear,
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that sometimes takes some time to figure out.
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So focus does improve performance, but it's also
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another tactic to understand not only how to
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focus, but what to focus.
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Let's take an example.
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Let's say you're playing baseball, right?
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And the coach says, focus.
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If you're hitting the ball, it's probably obvious
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that he wants you to focus on the
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ball, the pitcher, right?
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If you're on base and he says, focus,
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maybe you don't know what that means.
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Maybe he wants you to watch the pitcher,
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watch the players so that you can steal
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the next base.
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He says, focus, focus, right?
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But he doesn't define what focus is.
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And I think that's a problem with a
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lot of leaders.
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They don't do this intentionally.
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They know the game plan.
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They know the playbook.
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And when they say, focus, and you don't
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focus, they're all frustrated.
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Focus, focus, focus.
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On what coach?
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On what coach?
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And they'll say, on the game, on the
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game.
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And you'll look back and say, what part
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of the game?
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The pitcher, the catcher, whatever.
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They need to be a little more, how
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can I say, graceful and understanding and explain
16:37
things better so people don't become frustrated when
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they say, focus.
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And you stand there with a deer in
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the headlights.
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Focus on what?
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Focus improves performance, but we have to know
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how to focus and what to focus.
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And what does it mean to be focused?
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Does focus mean that I now see two
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rings on the microscope?
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Does focus mean that I now see a
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color?
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Does focus mean that something's not blurry?
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What does focus mean?
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I'm so glad that you asked me that
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question.
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And we're going to go to our good
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friends, yes, at Merriam-Webster.
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And I'm going to tell you from them,
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what does focus mean?
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According to Merriam-Webster, focus is a noun,
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a center of activity, attraction, or attention.
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But you can also say focusing.
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He's not focusing, right?
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The state or condition permitting clear perception of
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an understanding.
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That's the one I'm talking about.
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Adjustment for distinct vision.
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A point at which rays, as of light,
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heat, or sound, converge or from which they
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diverge or appear to diverge.
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The point where the geometrical lines or the
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prolonations conforming to the rays diverging from or
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converging toward another point intersect and give rise
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to an image after reflection by a mirror
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or refraction by a lens or optical system.
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The point of convergence of a beam, of
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particles such as electrons.
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One of the fixed points at which the
18:26
corresponding directix defines the contact section.
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A localized area of disease or the chief
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site of a generalized disease or infection.
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The place of origin of an earthquake or
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a moonquake.
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Focus is also a verb.
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And Webster says, to cause to be concentrated,
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to adjust the focus, to bring into focus.
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A big one is concentrate.
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What the coach is really saying to you
19:02
is concentrate.
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But my question is on what, coach?
19:06
What do you want me to focus on?
19:07
There's so many things on the field.
19:08
I need a little bit of guidance here,
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coach.
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Sometimes they'll say, on the game.
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Yeah, coach, but what part of the game?
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I told you I'm not an expert at
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baseball.
19:24
On the player, on the pitcher, on the
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and they shouldn't get aggravated by explaining that
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to you.
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Number 25, stability builds trust.
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So when we're able to focus something, we
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build trust.
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We build confidence in a situation, in a
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discipline, a subject, a topic.
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This happens a lot in college, especially in
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graduate studies.
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When we're able to focus and we're able
19:55
to delineate something clearly, we get that aha
19:59
moment.
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The moment where we're not just studying.
20:02
The moment when the tools, the language is
20:05
becoming ours.
20:09
Number 26, guys, discipline supports achievement.
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But discipline is not something you just do
20:16
overnight.
20:16
Discipline is something that we have to understand.
20:20
What am I disciplined to do?
20:22
Am I disciplined to get up early, to
20:24
go to bed early?
20:26
Am I disciplined to do exercise?
20:27
Am I disciplined to eat nutritiously?
20:30
Am I disciplined to be on time at
20:32
practice?
20:32
Am I disciplined to throw the ball a
20:38
certain way?
20:39
Am I disciplined to watch the catcher, to
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watch the pitcher, to watch their eyes, to
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watch their body, how they stand?
20:50
Number 27, guys, calm focus drives progress.
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Calm focus drives progress.
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And that's an important one.
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Number 28, consistency fuels success.
21:06
Consistency fuels success.
21:09
But how can we ever learn focus or
21:12
consistency if we actually don't understand what the
21:16
heck we're focusing on or why we're focusing
21:18
on something?
21:20
Right?
21:22
I think that's an important point that many
21:25
people just don't get.
21:29
How do I focus?
21:31
Where do I focus?
21:33
What does it mean to be focused in
21:36
this situation?
21:37
I need some parameters here.
21:41
Can you help me?
21:43
Number 29, direction leads far.
21:49
Steady direction leads you to go far, meaning
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it leads you to go far from the
21:56
point you're at to where you want to
21:58
be.
21:58
So you're closer to success.
22:04
Think about the last time somebody said to
22:06
you, focus.
22:10
Maybe they were trying to get you to
22:11
stop daydreaming and read the material or focus
22:15
on the board.
22:19
Right?
22:20
Take your attention and put all of it
22:23
on this.
22:25
Mark, focus.
22:27
Chris, focus.
22:29
I might even say something like, hey, Chris,
22:31
focus on what I'm saying.
22:35
When I sense a student or I sense
22:38
someone is not following me, I try to
22:42
get in their head and figure out, where
22:45
did I lose you?
22:46
OK, Chris, so how far apart are we?
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Do you understand what I mean about electrons?
22:51
No.
22:51
OK, do you know what matter is?
22:55
Yes.
22:56
Good.
22:57
Now, do you understand how matter connects with
23:01
electrons?
23:02
No.
23:03
All right, good.
23:03
Now we know where to go.
23:05
A lot of teachers and a lot of
23:07
instructors and even leaders and speakers, they assume
23:11
you know all this.
23:13
My philosophy in whatever I teach, whatever I
23:16
give a keynote on, I assume you don't
23:19
know this.
23:20
I give you an example and I say,
23:22
hey, how many can relate to this?
23:25
If you can't, then I realize I'm going
23:27
the wrong way and I need to make
23:28
the example clearer.
23:32
Steady direction will lead you far.
23:39
When somebody said to me the very first
23:41
time, and it was a sports focus, the
23:46
first thing I thought about was, OK, I've
23:50
got to concentrate on the game.
23:51
I was playing soccer.
23:53
I think I used this analogy once before.
23:56
And the hardest thing for me in soccer
23:59
was not getting the goal.
24:01
It was scoring the goal when I legally
24:05
could because I kept going off sides.
24:10
The coach never explained to me what off
24:14
sides meant.
24:15
He just assumed I knew.
24:18
Thankfully, I had a good friend on the
24:20
team that said, hey, John, you're a great
24:23
kicker, but you keep going off sides.
24:26
Off what?
24:27
I don't understand.
24:28
Oh, hang on.
24:29
I get your point.
24:30
I understand you don't get this.
24:33
I know what off sides means.
24:36
I had the same problem.
24:37
Hang on.
24:38
Give me a minute.
24:38
Let me get my pen.
24:39
And they draw something, and then they explain
24:40
it.
24:41
And when somebody relates to that similar situation
24:44
that you were in, you're like, oh, I
24:49
get it.
24:51
But it didn't happen the first time.
24:54
It took a few iterations to explain to
24:57
me what focus means in this situation.
25:00
Because focus can mean many different things, from
25:04
paying attention, generally, to paying attention to a
25:10
very specific detail.
25:12
Think of focus in the words of paying
25:17
attention.
25:19
Put all your attention on one thing.
25:22
If I told you right now, and you're
25:23
watching the show, focus on my hat and
25:26
all the beautiful colors in BelieveMeAchieve.com.
25:29
If you're not watching the show and you're
25:32
just listening, if I said, focus on the
25:36
tonality of my voice and how that's making
25:40
your ears feel, focus on the diction of
25:47
each word that I say.
25:50
Focus now on the time that I choose
25:58
to pause between the words.
26:04
And you will see it's getting longer.
26:12
Now it is getting shorter.
26:15
So you get my point.
26:17
We have to know what the heck we're
26:20
focusing on.
26:22
Does that shed a little bit of light?
26:26
Because so many times people teach things, and
26:29
they presume that you understand how a cog
26:36
holds a wheel together.
26:38
They presume that, which they shouldn't do.
26:45
Or they presume that you understand what the
26:48
widget is that holds the thing of a
26:50
jig to the thing of a bob together.
26:53
The what?
26:54
Exactly.
26:55
It's confusing.
26:57
So we have to talk in terms of
27:00
the other person's interest.
27:02
Dale Carnegie said it very well many years
27:04
ago.
27:05
Talk in terms of the other person's interest,
27:07
and you will find that they gravitate, they
27:11
learn, they respond, and they build rapport.
27:14
Ladies and gentlemen, I am John C.
27:17
Morley, serial entrepreneur.
27:18
It is always such a privilege, a pleasure,
27:21
and an honor to be with you here
27:22
on the Inspirations for Your Life show.
27:24
I hope that you will go and check
27:27
out BelieveMeAchieve.com for more of my amazing,
27:31
inspiring creations.
27:32
That's short form, long form, articles, reels, and
27:35
so much more.
27:38
And the next time someone says the word
27:40
focus to you, and it's unclear, you can
27:43
look back and say, okay, on what?
27:49
On what?
27:50
Yes, what specifically would you like me to
27:52
focus on or pay attention to?
27:57
You'll get an answer, and hopefully you'll be
28:01
able to connect with what they want.
28:02
Have a great one, everyone, and be well.
28:28
♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey,
28:38
hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
28:40
♪