How to Have A Positive Focus While Working From Home

My morning commute – from bed to library, where I write is about 18 feet. Beats 18 miles, believe me. But there is one disadvantage (isn’t there always a potential disadvantage with everything?):

I can roll out of bed at 7 or 7:30, throw myself into my work and not even look up until 10 or 11 o’clock. So much to do, so much to do…. like the Dunkin’ Donuts guy says, “Time to make the donuts.”

It’s REAL easy to not stop and center myself first.

I’m in Dan Sullivan’s Strategic Coach program and the #1 thing they teach in Coach is: “Positive Focus.” Namely, that you start every interaction, every meeting, and every day with this question:

• “What’s GOOD?”
• “What’s good right now?
• What positive thing happened yesterday?
• What positive thing happened today?
• What do you appreciate about the person you’re talking to right now?”

The Strategic Coach guys finally got through to me. A couple of months ago I started a new habit. I take out this teeny little Moleskine note book, it’s maybe 2 inches by 3 inches – and I write down something positive. First thing in the morning.

That all by itself isn’t enough. I don’t know anyone who prays or meditates who doesn’t think it’s the most healthy thing they do all day. But writing down one or two or three sentences in that tiny notebook is what gets me STARTED. Read more

If it was a BIG notebook and I had to write a couple of paragraphs, it would never get done. My brain’s a little sludgy at 7:30 in the morning. But I can do 2 or 3 sentences. The thing we all have the hardest time doing is getting started. Writing down two or three things that are positive, that’s the first 20%.

Now the train is rolling down the tracks.

As you know, one of the things I like to do best is crank out a nice juicy rant. Gets my brain cells boiling, and everybody else’s too. Some of that is driven by my perfectionism and it’s great to be able to find the fly in the ointment. It’s why I’m good at solving problems.

But too much perfectionism can be its own curse, as we all know. Everybody I know who runs an online business is at least a little bit obsessive and you want that obsessiveness working for you, not against you.

Namely: Solving problems and moving forward, not uselessly grinding away on “the way things ought to be.” Also, gratitude is a GREAT reminder that most of the challenges you’ve faced in your life, you HAVE solved. (Right?)

You might be facing some stiff opposition today. So remember that all your victories will be built on a foundation of what’s good, not what’s wrong in the world. Start with something positive RIGHT NOW, and Seize the Day.

Perry Marshall