The Magic of Focus: Your Journey to Intentional Living

By Katie Stoddart

Escape the clutches of the busy and rushing white rabbit and enter the jungle!

Let's uncover the magic of focus – your ability to master focus in its three forms:

 

Short-Term Focus: how to direct your focus on current activities and be in flow. Learn the tools to remove distractions, stop being busy, and make a habit of super-focus.

 

Long-Term Focus: gain clarity on your direction and your zone of genius. Find your vision and the best strategies for optimising your energy.

 

Selective Focus: manage your thoughts and emotions to find peace in the present moment. Step into stoicism, eudaemonia, and full consciousness.

 

Through this trek in the jungle, you will meet the Focus Bee, the tea party, the chess master... and learn why mastering focus is the greatest asset to leading an intentional and fulfilling life.

 

Focus is within your power. You can train it and master it!

 

Leap into the boundless and wonder,

 

Connect with the magic,

Katie

• Language: English
• Publisher: Katie Stoddart
• Release date: May 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223753001

Book preview

Introduction

Down, down you fall. When you reach the bottom, the white rabbit is still in front of you: ‘I’m late, I’m late!’ he is shouting, anxiously checking his pocket watch. You chase after him. What an exhausting journey: your legs are sore, your lungs are aching, your head is still spinning from the fall. But the pull towards the rabbit is too strong, and you carry on running as though your life depends on it. You believe you are also late, and you must force yourself to push through and chase that rabbit.

What is this invisible force that pushes you to rush, to constantly feel that you are late and behind? What is your white rabbit shouting: ‘I’m late - I’m busy!’? How often do you stop to question it?

One of today’s greatest illusions is that being busy equals being successful. This is a lie that society promotes, which your peers encourage, and which you foolishly accept. Yet, if you pause for an instant, you know that it is a lie. The person who works the longest does not achieve the best results. Why is this such a common belief?

The white rabbit finally escapes from your clutches. Here you are: away from the white rabbit, the daily busy-ness and chaos, you are now high in the sky, in a plane escaping it all.

Flying above the tropical jungle, your thoughts go back to the office and spiral out of control. Do you regret leaving? Are you ready to embark on this new adventure? As you think about what awaits you, your heart pounds and drops of sweat trickle down your forehead. Why did you leave in the first place? Why are you escaping to this foreign place?

To find yourself through connection with nature. To rediscover the parts of you that you have forgotten about. To understand how and why you burned out and how you can avoid it in the future. To study ‘Full Focus’: the ability to manage your focus in the short-term, long-term, and selectively.

You say this repeatedly in your mind to justify abandoning everything that is familiar to you. Did you have any other alternative? Your thoughts circle and come back to the same conclusion: you want to understand how you can control your focus, find a direction, and manage your thoughts and emotions.

All of the problems you have encountered over the last few years are tied to these three key elements of focus:

- Short-term focus: your ability to direct your focus on your tasks and projects

- Long-term focus: approaching your life with clear direction and purpose

- Selective focus: managing your thoughts and emotions

As you look down at the green jungle below, you wonder if this is the place where you will find all the answers you are longing for. Will the passion flowers, giant water lilies and cacao beans provide you with the insights you need? What will the piranhas and pythons teach you about focus?

Your heart and soul leap as the plane descends towards your destination. Focus - the magic of focus - is waiting for you.

SHORT TERM FOCUS

Chapter 1: The White Rabbit

I. Why Do We Run?

You are walking in the jungle now. The path that you had walked along every day for as long as you can remember - the daily grind, the rat race, the path that the white rabbit insisted you took - is now far behind you.

Looking back, you realise that you always had a choice. But you felt trapped in your comfort zone; the white rabbit had kept you there. You felt comfortable being busy because when you were busy, you never took the time to confront existential thoughts or deal with your doubts and worries. You never needed to wonder about your self-worth or manage your inner turmoil of traumas, fears and guilt.

Being busy enabled you to ignore the chaos of your thoughts and emotions.

The white rabbit, its glimmering eyes and shiny pocket watch, how you had chased after it! But you never reached the place you were searching for. You never found the treasures you thought the white rabbit had in store for you. Every time you ran, you felt breathlessly excited, hoping to discover hidden gems and magical places. But time and time again, you finished at a dead-end with no glittering jewels. The white rabbit would inevitably show up again, and every time you had hoped that, for once, you would get something out of the chase.

Your feet hit a tree trunk, awakening you to your surroundings. The jungle air is humid; fluorescent bamboo glows to your right, while ahead, you can see a narrow alley covered in fallen bananas. Beautiful orchids light up the dense green canopy. As the call of a parrot echoes in the distance, you advance further into the depths of the jungle. The scenery disappears as you cast your mind back to a conversation with a friend a few nights back.

‘This is it,’ you had said to him. ‘I’m leaving my work for a while. I don’t feel fulfilled in my current position, and I am going to go travelling for a while to gain clarity.’

‘Why?’ he asked, raising his head in surprise.

‘It’s a long story. The bottom line is: I need to

learn how to focus efficiently.’

‘Why focus? What do you mean?’

‘When I think of the last few months, and even years, I can see myself ploughing through each day without a clear intention, without fully grasping the magic of each moment. I knew that I was missing something, but I didn’t know what. The other day, I finally understood that it was focus. I wasn’t able to focus effectively on any task at work and felt constantly distracted. I also feel that I’m not working towards a focused goal.’

‘I think most of us feel that way. I don’t know why you need to leave...’

‘I want to get to the root of this and understand how I can better channel my focus, both to increase my performance at work and also to subdue this ever-growing feeling of overwhelm. Without this focused direction, I also struggle with motivation, purpose, and joy in the process.’

‘I know what you mean. But what about how you manage your thoughts and emotions? Isn’t that a form of focus?’

At first, you had not understood your friend’s point of view. Thoughts and emotions? But then you experienced a light-bulb moment!

‘Yes, of course: selective focus - what we choose to focus on. The thoughts and emotions we focus on, and how we manage them.’

‘Something like that. I think that plays a great part in how we focus on daily tasks.’

The waiter had barged in on your conversation, and you pondered on this correlation. You continued:

‘Most of all, I want to stop running, always chasing that white rabbit.’

Your friend laughed.

‘Yes, he is a villain, alright! It’s an interesting concept, your idea to stop running. I don’t know if it’s possible to not be busy in the world we live in...’

‘I’m not sure either; and this is why I need to leave - to have the mental and physical space to process all of this information.’

The vision of the conversation fades. The fallen bananas are still at your feet. Were these fluorescent bamboo trees and brightly coloured orchids going to help? At least you were no longer running. Already your breath was calmer, and your mind felt clearer. You hoped it would continue like this. The Focus Bee, your constant focus reminder, flies in front of you, leading the way.

II. Reset The Default

You pause and look around, observing a nearby toucan and the passion fruit flowers. What a jump it had been to leave your routine, your path of least resistance, to finally close your office door and fly to the other side of the world.

This enchanted labyrinth is your chance to start over. A multi-coloured scarlet macaw glides in front of you. Here you can re-explore your inner world. After all those years confined to that comfort zone, it is time for you to be free.

Switching off your auto-pilot would not be easy. Leaving for the unknown had tied your stomach in knots. But your mind was all set: you no longer wanted to live the way you used to, and you were ready to embrace a new, peaceful path.

It had all begun with you checking whether your actions aligned with your priorities. You had realised that they didn’t. You noticed this by becoming more aware of your habits, thoughts, and triggers. Your goal was now to choose alternatives that suit you better, ones which will modify your behaviour in the long run. These new patterns would then become an improved version of your auto-pilot.

You relive your past actions: waking up on auto-pilot; working throughout the day in a daze, not being fully present; coming home and switching off. It feels to you as though your whole life so far has been passive, but now you have finally decided to live intentionally, to stop acting on auto-pilot and embrace a path of purpose.

The jungle can help you to redefine how you want to live. Focus is the key and the answer to everything. Redirecting your attention to your priorities is the first step. You will also need to explore your goals and how you manage your thoughts and emotions.

‘What a journey awaits me!’ you exclaim, and this new path ahead already seems exciting, dangerous, and filled with obstacles. The natural wonders of the jungle appear in front of you as your pace picks up.

And remember: the Focus Bee is flying by your side. Every time you feel tempted to jump back down the rabbit hole, to fall back onto the too-familiar path of busyness, the Focus Bee will gently whisper in your ear: ‘Is this really how you want to spend your time, energy, and attention right now?’

You will never need to switch your previous auto-pilot back on. The Focus Bee is here as a constant reminder to embrace this new path of intentional living and being.

III. Our Most Precious Resource

In this vibrant jungle, you have lost sight of the rabbit, and the Focus Bee is on your shoulder, smiling. You are pleased with yourself for having left your comfort zone to embark on this new adventure. Although you have been pricked a few times by thorns, you are enjoying the tropical surroundings.

Suddenly you look down and freeze. You had almost stepped on a python. It slithers past you, and you breathe a sigh of relief. As the snake vanishes into the trees, a thought flashes into your mind: ‘Paying full attention is crucial. Notice where you put each foot. Be aware of how you are carrying your bag (it got caught in a branch a few seconds ago). Overall awareness