What's going through my head right now #23

“Focus—the magic word”

I shake my head, rub my eyes, squeeze my earlobes, open my eyes wide, take three deep breaths in and out, fix my gaze on a point in front of me, sit up straight, straighten my shoulders, and...

This could be an anti-fatigue ritual. Or a radical form of morning awakening when the alarm clock, an unpleasant thought, or simply the brightness of the rising morning wakes you up. Or just an action to help me concentrate better, regain my focus, and steer myself toward what lies ahead and threatens to get lost in the oblivion of the passing moment.

Focus. Whether in gymnastics, volleyball, or dancing. The term has been with me for as long as I can remember. This targeted and concentrated aiming basically requires no great effort. It is that moment when everything narrows and is focused on one point. The one-minute exercise until the dismount, to get into position. Targeting your opponent behind the net and making the right decision at exactly the right moment, whether to play a smash or surprise them with a lob. Or clearly targeting a point in the room—a spot on the wall, a stage element, or a person in the room—so that you can keep your head and eyes focused on the same point during pirouettes and thus be able to turn precisely around your own axis. And at some point, I realized that this is not only a physical possibility, but also an important component of the psyche. Focusing on a longer period of time, beyond everyday life, on days, weeks, months, and even years, and never losing sight of the goal is a trait that I can only recommend to everyone. Juggling several goals at the same time is no mean feat, but practice makes perfect, as we all know.

In my career, there have been many goal-oriented announcements and things I wanted to achieve. Some I communicated to the outside world, others I only thought about. I kept reminding myself of them, like a mantra. Sometimes it took a while, other times it happened surprisingly quickly, and then there were moments when it didn't work out, although the saying “when one door closes, another opens” usually proved to be true. And then there were those moments of surprise that I never would have expected. But if I'm honest, even those moments were present somewhere inside me, just waiting to finally come to the surface.

Maybe that's exactly what makes the difference: not just focusing on the moment, but also on those quiet dreams and visions that we often consider too bold or unrealistic.

They deserve our attention just as much. Because sometimes it is precisely these seemingly impossible goals that take us the furthest – if we are willing to focus on them and wait patiently until the right moment comes.

What is your focus right now? What are you directing your attention to – consciously or unconsciously?

Jochen, cordially