By Alan Tutt
Author of Choose To Believe

"Anything is possible to that person who can focus their mind on one thing exclusively until that focus is no longer required."

Very few people are able to truly focus their minds. Most of us get side-tracked, distracted, lose interest, or simply try to do too much.

It seems that when we try to focus ourselves to a single task, other things present themselves and we find ourselves unable to decide how to proceed. Do we continue doing what we were working on, or do we switch gears and go off in a new (possibly better) direction?

Napoleon Hill writes extensively about the power of determined focus of mind in his classic, "Think and Grow Rich". Sticking to a decision as if your life depends upon it is one of the key points that Mr. Hill was determined to get across to the reader of that magical self-help masterpiece.

There are many example of exactly WHY being focused leads to success.

One example - have you ever tried to cut a piece of steak with a butter knife? Doesn't work nearly as well as using a sharp (physically focused) knife, does it?

What happens when you focus a beam of light into a point with a lens? That light gets hot enough to burn paper, right? Further
focus of light into a single wavelength yields a laser beam that can even cut through metal.

While most people have difficulty juggling 5 balls at once due to the diffusion of focus required for the task, almost everyone can easily juggle a single ball - because their mind is focussed!

Henry Ford proved to the world that a group of people are far more productive when each person focuses upon a single aspect of the overall process. Now, assembly lines are the standard way to manufacture anything.

Top business people find that they are able to get much more work done when they clear off their desks and work on one task at a time. They pull out a folder, do the work required, and file it away until it's needed again.

Those who list the things they must do each day on a ToDo list find that they are able to get much more done in a day simply because they are focused on one thing at a time until each item on the list has been checked off.

Those who meditate find that by focusing their minds to a single point provides them with a clarity of mind that yields some interesting results. Not only do they attain greater inner peace, but they are able to deal with Life's many challenges with less effort and happier results.

And those who work with mind power development courses such as the Silva Method or the Keys To Power system find that as they acheive greater degrees of mental focus, they are able to influence the world around them in ways that seem almost magical.

Mental focus is not something that you either have or you don't, but is something that can be developed through exercise, practice, and determination. However well or poorly you are presently able to focus your mind, you can develop your mental
powers to the point where you can focus on a single thing without any distractions whatsoever.

Anyone can set aside 5 minutes at a time to develop their power of focus. One simple exercise you can do during this time is to count backwards, starting at 100 and counting down to 1. Don't rush through this, take your time. The idea is to focus your mind completely on each number before moving on to the next one.

Another simple exercise is to memorize things. Pull out your contact list - those people whose names and phone numbers you need on a regular basis. Or anything else you find yourself looking up from time to time. This exercise has the added
benefit of practical application.

However you decide to develop your power of focus, you'll find that you're able to get much more out of life because of it.

Good luck.

Alan Tutt has over 25 years experience using the placebo effect to produce changes in the world around him. He conducts workshops across the country on the power of belief.

Click here to learn more about his latest book, "Choose to Believe"

Also by Alan Tutt: Is There A Science of Faith?