What are you focused on? How sharp is that focus? How relevant is that focus?

As Stephen Covey says it is vital to “start with the end in mind”. So when you design your business or your life it is vital to have a clear idea of where you want to get to. How successful, how rich, how famous, how happy do you plan to be?

Within that big picture what happens day by day? What are the individual steps that move you consistently and steadily towards this big view? Many of us have a head full of our ‘fantasy’ future. But this is so often nothing more than a vision, almost a diversion from the reality of what we are doing and where we will end up.

We have looked at commitment and how vital it is for us to fully ‘sign up’ to the future we are beginning to build. Focus is just as important because it is the reality we build into our picture of the future that decides whether we will succeed or fail.

If you haven’t done it before get hold of some binoculars. Look towards a point in the distance and look through the lenses turn the focus. All of a sudden your target will become absolutely clear, with sharp edges. The mistiness and the blurred edges vanish. It is like being in a dark room and the lights go on – everything becomes clear.

Your career and your life can be like that. If you are focusing on something you truly want and you truly commit to the focus is astounding. The sharpest edges and the clearest colours you will ever see. And as you move towards your staging posts on your journey the focus, the gains, the sense of achievement will give even greater clarity.

So focus is vital and the quality of that focus will tell you how real your goal is. If you do not get a clear picture are you on the right route? Check now! If it doesn’t blow your socks off or your skirt up think again. Success draws us towards it so the journey is so much easier – like coasting down a nice smooth slope rather than struggling up a hill.

Of course you still have to work hard - but enjoyable work beats the grinding stuff that most of us have experienced.

So focus – keep the end in mind and get a clear view of the steps to your goal then bring them into focus and nail them down. Every time you achieve even the tiniest success have a celebration, then head towards the next. And remember to stand up regularly to check the route.