Have you ever watched an MMA match and seen one of the competitors look up at the time? In the fight world, this is a sign that they are tired. In that single second, the outcome of the competition can change dramatically. Like taking your foot off the gas pedal while driving, when you lose focus, you stop moving forward with your desire and intent towards the task at hand.
I like to track my progress during any of my training regimens through timed intervals, sets, cycles, weight, repetitions, and even rest. Numbers don’t lie. They will tell you where you have been, where you at, and most importantly, where you are going. If you use them, they will push you harder to your goals.
The other day I was doing a strength and conditioning series, and during the last interval of the entire workout, I found myself fatiguing mentally. When this happened, I asked myself, “How much longer until the bell?”
It would be easy for me to give you a list of excuses for why this happened. Maybe I wasn’t feeling that specific exercise, I didn’t get enough sleep, or I didn’t eat enough. Maybe I could have had a better finish if the music I picked had a faster beat. As my friend said back in the day, “excuses don’t excuse.”
I’ve debunked everything that I ever thought I needed to accomplish a goal. I did this to eliminate all the variables that could cause me any issues. When I did, the only thing left in the equation was my worst enemy, the man in the mirror.
Losing focus can be as simple as looking at Facebook when you should be doing your work. It could be watching TV instead of reading or studying to make yourself better. It could be justifying that indulgence that you were trying to stay away from while executing your plan towards that big goal you want to accomplish. This kind of hesitation or lack of focus can be a speed bump that derails you on your journey.
For me, losing focus made a big difference. I took my eye off the ball for one second, which caused me to come up short and not reach my goal for literally the last interval of the entire workout. My best number during this set was eight. I held this number for the last three intervals. I entered the last set with a goal of nine. In that split second, I asked myself, “How much longer?” backslid me into seven. That was one less than my norm and at that point, not even par. It was subpar, and in my opinion, at that point, so was my performance. I was out of time, and I would have to live with the loss of seven for another week until I could correct my focus and reach my goal.
You might think I am being hard on myself or even too extreme; but then again, when you want to reach something big that maybe a year from now, who better to call you out, than yourself. You might even think it’s only a week, and you will crush it for sure next time, but I see it as I have to wait SEVEN more days until I can prove my focus and performance again.
The aftermath is built for reflection and balancing the pain of an outcome we didn’t want. It often hurts because we realize that we could have achieved amazing things if it wasn’t for one little distraction. What if that one more rep was the last step to reach your goal? What if you have to wait an entire year before attempting your goal again? How many times will you stop and restart something before you give up? What if there was no tomorrow? What if there are no second chances, no redos, or reboots? What if everyone in the world pushed one more rep the first time around? What could we achieve if we stayed focused a little longer on our goals? What kind of change could we create in a world full of distractions?
Stay focused on the light at the end of the tunnel. Fight hard, fight now, and leave it all in the ring every time. When you do, you will never be disappointed.
