Learning to Focus for a Purpose

Hello everyone, and I apologize right now for this post being a bit long, but I wanted to share this, as I think it is very important. I am opening up here so don't bash me too hard

In February of this year I lost my position as a National Business Development Manager for one of the largest Allied Healthcare Companies in the USA. We were acquired back in June of 09, by a company who decided on a whim to consolidate my company to their main headquarters...and now life goes on.

During the first few days of my unemployment I was trying to decide what and where I would go...would I try and start my own company, would I consult, would I try to finally settle down on some of my business ideas and create my own business, or would I try and go back to working for someone else with the nagging thought of "What if I lose my job again???"

After-all it was the 5th time in 10 years, and I am only 31. I was at my last employer since 2005, so I had developed strong relationships with every employee I worked with, as well as my clients...it was rough, and I thought to myself..."I can not do this all over again."

As a Father or a 1 year old, a husband, and a homeowner a lot of things were racing through my head...as would be expected.

I remember exactly what I was wearing, how I was sitting, and what I was drinking (no it was not alcohol :rolleyes when the following conversation happened that has changed my life.

I was at my parents house and was talking to my Father about the whole situation that had just happened with me losing my job. He asked me what I was going to do, and I told him I didn't know...I said maybe I would finally put one of my crazy ideas together and start my own thing.

He looked at me and said something that I will always remember...and I feel that it is so important to anyone that is attempting to create a business, whether it be online or off.

He looked at me and said...

"Craig, for years you have been coming up with ideas, and attempting to create these crazy business schemes. A lot of them are really good, and a lot of them are...well not the best. Why don't you sit down and instead of trying to recreate the wheel, and come up with the next best thing...why don't you take a business that you know works, a business that has proved to be successful and emulate that. Don't recreate the wheel, just focus on trying to make that wheel the same with some added benefits. Just try to make a slightly better wheel...that's it"

It made sense to me at the time, but didn't actually hit me until I was driving back to my house with my daughter in the car with me.

I was at a red light, and looked in my rear-view mirror and looked at my little girl, and that is when it hit me, as strange as it sounds.

What I was looking at was not some new kind of child, it wasn't this cybernetic organism created with this obscure set of chromosomes that would make my little girl an action hero when she grows up. She was the biggest and best creation I have ever made. She's my little girl, there was no thought of how to make her better, or more unique...she was just who she was, and I am just who I am.

So I thought back to what my Father had told me just a few minutes before, and I realized something...

Stop Thinking so much and Start Doing.

Stop trying to create something new, and wasting your time on something that may or may not work, and start doing something that you know you can do, that you see can and has been working, and that you don't have to recreate the process. How could I have been so blind!!!

Since that time I have realized so much, and luckily it has all happened quickly...well within the past few months.

I am now working on my new company, and am actually having a face to face meeting tomorrow with a huge distributor for my business, and am confident that the meeting will go well. I am confident, because I know what I am creating is something that works, and I am not trying to pitch a new idea or invention, or some crazy business idea.

I have gone back to the basics, and started to think again...but think logically, not obscurely, and am starting to see a lot more than just a successful business venture happening...but I can actually see focus again; focus where it should be.

I guess you can say, If your focus isn't clear on what and how you should be doing something, than all you are going to do is run for miles and miles, but never get anywhere because you are basically running on a treadmill, and a treadmill gets you nowhere fast.

Sit back and spend some time trying to focus on a real things and ideas you have seen work for a while and your eyes will open to things that may have been passing you by for weeks, months or even years.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading, and I hope it makes sense and helps at least a few people.

Craig