Focus – A Lesson from The Karate Kid 2

When Daniel asked Mr. Miyagi what he was supposed to do in Karate Kid 2, when faced with breaking six blocks of ice, Mr. Miyagi replied, “Focus.” It was an important lesson from the film, and it’s an important concept not only in your martial art training, but in most things you do in life.

You can increase your level of effectiveness by learning to maintain focus. To achieve your goals and objectives, you must stay focused on what needs to be done. This is a critical key to successfully accomplishing those things you’ve determined important to you. Just like Danial breaking the six ice blocks, focus will help you achieve your goals, both in and out of your training hall. This is why I teach that the benefits from martial art training go way beyond the physical aspects of striking, kicking, throwing, and locking. Learning to defend themselves is a goal of many beginning martial art students, but then they learn that there is so much more.

The ability to focus enables people to do amazing things. For example, the sun is a powerful energy source, while a laser is a weak energy source. With a little sun screen, most people can bathe in sunlight for hours. Most lasers take a few watts of energy and focus them in a coherent stream of light, but the laser, with this focus, can drill a hole through a diamond or wipe out a cancer.

Focus is the process of keeping your thoughts, attention, and energy totally on the task at hand. Learning to maintain focus will allow you to accomplish the most in the least amount of time. When you are focused, it has the same effect as a laser. With focus, you create a powerful laserlike ability to accomplish things. When you become unfocused, you lose your power. When you focus your time and energy doing the important things, you will reap big rewards. Focus on the big things, not the minor ones.

In life, you get what you focus on. This rule applies to just about anything you can think of. Focus will help you get a new job, build your business, win an athletic competition, and build more wealth. If it is something you want, you must focus on that objective in order to succeed and acquire it. Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret is one of the top selling motivational recordings of all time. Nightingale’s recordings are still sold world-wide and the company he founded with Lloyd Conant, Nightingale-Conant leads the industry producing audio success programs. Nightingale’s timeless secret is this, “You become what you think about most of the time.” This simple principle, or secret as Nightingale called it, is nothing more than focus.

There are many examples in business and sports where someone was better than average in multiple avenues. However, it was not until they picked one that they became exceptional. No one can be the best at everything. It is only with focus, intensity in one area, that greatness peaks at the highest level.

Focus on what produces the most results. Focus on those activities you do brilliantly and rewards will follow. It comes down to prioritizing. You must invest your time doing what you are best at and moves you toward your goals. Do this and success will be yours.