Over on the Party Plan Divas Message Boards we often share our different blog posts with one another. This week, Michelle Wolski a Creative Memories Consultant and Photographer, who happens to be our Diva Spotlight Saturday this week, posted a great post over on her blog with tips for taking the perfect picture. An excerpt from her post:
“Have you ever noticed the difference when you get closer to your subject while taking a photo? It eliminates the busy background (or just boring background) and brings the viewer’s attention straight to the subject, which is, after all, the reason you are taking the picture!”
Now, maybe it is just the Coach in me, but I realized immediately when reading this how synonymous this is with everything in our life!
How much time do we spend on “the background?”
When you think about life or your business – how much time and focus are you putting on “the background”- the little mundane tasks that really do not matter or the zillions of distractions we have thrown at us every day?
It is easy to lose focus in today’s world. With so many distractions and so many demands pulling you in every direction, getting lost in “the background” can be very easy, and happens to the best of us! We get distracted with the news, the recession, family issues, house work, friend drama, sickness, children… the list goes on and on.
So how do you regain your focus? ZOOM IN!
Remember what is important. If you have lost focus, admit it and get back to work. It happens, we all fall off the wagon sometimes. But the first step in getting back on is to admit it, and remember what you are striving for.
Keep your eye on the prize. Like in baseball, you have to keep your eye on the ball – or you will strike out. Keep your goal “in your face” at all times. Put your Vision Board in your office. Put pictures in your car, on your vanity, in your wallet – EVERYWHERE – so that you will see it often.
Fade out “the background.” Seriously. Learn to say “NO.” Leave the drama for your favorite reality show and surround yourself only with positive, ambitious, focused people and influences. This one task alone may be the hardest, but will absolutely make the biggest difference.
FOCUS on task. Keep your focus on one task at a time. The adage of how to eat an elephant – one bite at a time - is so true. Break your goal down to small “bite size” tasks, and then focus on one at a time. It is easier to stay on track with small, quick tasks than with one long drawn out goal.
If you have lost focus, don’t beat yourself up. Just think like a photographer and ZOOM IN!
Hi! Welcome to my blog! The Party Plan Coach is part of 
Cool post… we can learn a lot from “viewing a task” – such as taking a picture, and putting it ino the perspective of what we are doing in the “present tense”.
Thanks for this… In our business, the background could be any or the number of tasks it takes to get us ready for our “next business appointment” and once we get there, we tend to worry about those tasks (did I put in enought catalogs, do I have enough samples, I forgot my calculator) instead of focusing on the business at hand, which is of course our party.
First things first and Be Present in the Moment… that is what FOCUS means to me.
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Great tips. So True and if I ever slow done for a second maybe I’d catch up.
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Great post! Love the tips and I think that everyone should read this and slow down for a minute and think!
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I have started fuzzing my backgrounds out with Paintshop.
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What wonderful tips! Wow, I am bookmarking this. Thank you so much. I feel so overwhelmed most days.
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Nice analogy!
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I love your analogy. I need to regain focus. I think a vision board is perfect!
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I adore this article! It is so very easy to apply it to party planning but for me I can also apply it to my parenting and home making. My house is a crazy mess and I get so distracted with everything but with proper focus, it all gets more beautiful!
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When I read a post like this, I know with absolute certainty that you are meant to do this, Lynsey. Love the entire analogy and it’s so pertinent as to how I need to approach my own blogging goals.
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Love this idea. I often get overwhelmed thinking about everything I have to do, but when I break it up into smaller tasks or “zoom in” it becomes much more doable.
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