Unleashing Success Through Unbalanced Focus: Mastering One Goal at a Time

What would you do if tomorrow you woke up with a chronic illness that threatened everything you had been working for?

For years, I've had a clear vision and a direction for my future. However, life throws curveballs, and my health started to decline. In March 2022, I suddenly found myself in the midst of a flare-up of ulcerative colitis, which demanded my full attention. I was first diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when I was 12 years old. but after experiencing Time Line Therapy® and Hypnotherapy, I found myself in remission for almost 8 years. 

I was enjoying living a normal life, free of illness until that one day in March 2022 when I suddenly had my symptoms return. In 24 hours I went from being completely healthy to having a full-blown flare up. I was devastated. 

Like many entrepreneurs, I initially resisted acknowledging the severity of my health issues. I fought against it, denying its impact on my life and goals. But the more I resisted, the worse it became. It wasn't until I surrendered and made my health a top priority that my healing journey began. Here are some of the lessons I have learned along the way about health, entrepreneurship and goal achievement.

Getting Out of Balance

It was one of my mentors who offered a life-changing perspective: "Teri, your health has to be your top priority right now. Put your goals for business aside for a bit." Initially, this suggestion was hard to accept. As a dedicated high performer, I was used to being unbalanced when it came to prioritizing my business. But when my health demanded my attention, I struggled to find that same acceptance. My mentor said "you need to be out of balance right now". I have never had a problem being out of balance when it was in favour of business (any other Capricorns here?) but to be out of balance in favour of health was foreign and scary. Nevertheless, I learned that getting out of balance in order to prioritize my health was an imperative step towards healing.

Shifting the Mindset

We often prioritize our business and achievements at the expense of our health and well-being. As entrepreneurs, we have been conditioned to believe that pushing through, fighting, and achieving our goals at any cost is the only path to success. However, this mindset can lead to burnout, physical ailments, and a lack of true fulfillment. It is crucial that we learn when to prioritize our health and well-being alongside our business goals. Now, I'm not going to tell you that you must ALWAYS prioritize health over all else, because I don't think that's true.

We experience different seasons in life and we need to be flexible to focus on the areas of life that need the most attention at any given time. At times, if may be your relationship that needs the majority of your focus, or your spirituality, or personal development etc. We have been misled into thinking that we can focus on all areas of life at the same time, and the truth is that it only dilutes our efforts. 

Choosing to focus on healing and make it my top priority is what allowed me to begin the healing process.

The Power of the Conscious and Unconscious Mind

In personal development, we often emphasize setting goals in all areas of life. While it is essential to have clarity and aspirations in each aspect, the true magic happens when our unconscious mind aligns with a single goal at a time. The conscious mind is the goal-setter, but the unconscious mind is the goal-getter. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the most pressing goal that requires our undivided attention, while still keeping the others in mind.

The Limitations of Multitasking

While it may be tempting to tackle multiple significant goals in various areas of life simultaneously, the reality is that our focus gets diluted, resulting in lackluster outcomes. I often compare this unfocused energy to a 60-watt light bulb in a pitch-black warehouse.

Imagine being in a large warehouse with no light coming in. And in the center of that warehouse is a lamp with a single 60-watt light bulb. How much of that warehouse would be illuminated? Not very much. There would be a dome of light around the lamp and it would fade into darkness. The light emitted spreads in every direction but fails to illuminate anything significantly. Contrastingly, a focused five-watt laser can reach all the way to the moon and back to Earth again. Similarly, by concentrating on one goal at a time, we channel our energy and achieve remarkable results.

Which one would you prefer to be? The 60-watt bulb with a lot of energy output for a weak outcome or a focused 5-watt laser reaching the moon?

Embracing the Uncomfortable

Acknowledging that our goals may need to take a backseat for a while can be uncomfortable. It requires us to embrace the vulnerability of temporary imbalance and trust that the effort we invest in our well-being will ultimately enhance our ability to achieve our goals. Remember, success is not a linear journey; it is a multidimensional experience that requires flexibility and resilience.

I have come to learn that life is not about being in balance but learning to dance in the ebbs and flows between balance and imbalance. 

By shifting our mindset, creating deliberate imbalances, and focusing on one goal at a time, we can find harmony and achieve long-term success. Remember, success in mind starts with attending to both the conscious and unconscious aspects of our lives.