The Element of Focus: A Strategic Approach to Achieving Your Goals

By Casey Osborne

There are plenty of people out in the world today with the unlimited potential to succeed at whatever they desire to achieve, but they simply cannot get past the pitfalls and distractions in life that hinder all of us. In The Element of Focus, author Casey OZ Osborne offers a basic point of reference to help you get back on track and keep moving forward.

Osborne begins with helping you identify the stumbling blocks and moves toward fine-tuning the attributes that have made you who you are. Filled with practical information, The Element of Focus discusses understanding the meaning and value of focus; realizing the types of distractions; identifying goals; recognizing your potential; using the elements of practical planning; exercising the freedom of flexibility; staying open to serendipity; making prudent decisions; meeting your own expectations, and closing the loop.

A reference guide to getting back on track, The Element of Focus revolves around centering your thoughts in order to make better decisions and achieve goals.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Sep 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491774038

Casey Osborne

Casey “OZ” Osborne is an Accreditation & Compliance Manager. He earned two associate’s degrees from Park University in criminal justice and instructor technology, a Bachelors in Management from American Military University and is retired from the US Air Force as a formal training instructor and security forces supervisor. Osborne has four daughters and lives in Panama City, Florida.

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Copyright © 2015 Casey OZ Osborne.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-7404-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-7403-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015914114

iUniverse rev. date: 09/24/2015

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 The Meaning and Value of Focus

Chapter 2 Types of Distractions

Chapter 3 People, Places, and Things

Chapter 4 The Importance of Simplicity

Chapter 5 Identifying Your Goals

Chapter 6 Recognizing Your Own Potential

Chapter 7 The Elements of Practical Planning

Chapter 8 The Freedom of Flexibility

Chapter 9 Staying Open to Serendipity

Chapter 10 Prudent Decision Making

Chapter 11 Meeting Your Own Expectations

Chapter 12 Closing the Loop

Acknowledgments

About the Author

PREFACE

When I first decided to write this book, I had just a series of personal notes to myself—no more than a collection of thoughts, ideas, and suggestions that has helped me to get past my own stumbling blocks in life. As the number of thoughts and ideas grew exponentially, I came to the conclusion that what I was beginning to put down on paper was not just something that I should reflect upon when I felt stagnant in my own forward progression, but it was something that should be shared with others. Then I thought, What if there are hundreds or thousands of people out there with unlimited potential to succeed at whatever they desire to achieve but simply cannot get past the pitfalls and distractions in life that hinder us all? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a basic point of reference to help us get back on track and keep moving forward?

So with the simple premise of identifying the things that hold us back and creating ways to eliminate or avoid them, I wrote this book for you, me, and us—all of us. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it helps you in reaching all your goals, whatever they may be.

Chapter 1

THE MEANING AND VALUE OF FOCUS

For the purpose of this book, the definition of focus is to concentrate one’s attention in a positive direction without straying from the intended path. As simple as this may sound, millions of people struggle every day to do just that. As someone who has encountered a lack of focus in my endeavors to make progress in my life and help the people around me move forward in a positive direction, I understand this concept as well as, if not better than, anyone. In 90 percent of all cases known to man, failure to achieve a specific goal or to complete a particular task can be attributed to the lack of, loss of, or inability to focus on the goal or task at hand. It is usually only after repetitive failure and disappointment that we learn the value of gaining and maintaining focus.

The purpose of this book is to identify the obstacles that get in the way of us pursuing what makes us happy, eliminate or avoid those things, find ways to stay focused on our paths all the way to the end, and see our dreams to fruition.

There are many different schools of thought when it comes to this topic. Most logic-minded people