A Matter of Focus
A Matter of Focus
Occasionally, I come across something amazing for its simplicity and focus. Several years ago, I read author John Maxwell’s excellent book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. In it, he told the story of Roberto Goizueta, who served as chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola until he died in 1997.
In a speech given to the Executives Club of Chicago a few months before his death, he said, “… A billion minutes ago, Christianity emerged. A billion seconds ago, the Beetles performed on the Ed Sullivan show. A billion Coca-Colas ago was… yesterday morning. And the question we are asking ourselves now is, ‘What must we do to make a billion Coca-Colas ago, this morning?’” The beverage company’s success was Goizueta’s highest priority.
Karl Wallenda was arguably history’s greatest tightrope artist. He grew up in a family famous for its high-wire performances. He thrilled millions for decades. He walked tightropes stretched across stadiums, rivers, canyons, and between buildings. He eagerly performed practically anywhere he could stretch a wire. He was called “the Great Wallenda,” and the title was more than a promotional slogan. What would terrify the rest of us was a normal part of his life.
The day he died, Wallenda told his wife he was worried about falling. He checked and rechecked the wire’s tautness. He had not been so concerned about falling since his early days as an artist. There seemed to be no reason for his concern, since the walk he was doing was not difficult. There would be no safety net, but that was normal for Wallenda, as he often performed without one.
When Alan Elliot told Wallenda’s story in A Daily Dose of the American Dream, he theorized that the reason for Wallenda’s fall to his death was that, “He had stopped concentrating on the walk and had begun to think about falling.”
Goizueta demonstrated what can be done when we focus intently on success. Wallenda’s death illustrates the importance of not focusing on the wrong thing. The Apostle Paul challenges us to focus on the right thing when he says, “I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” (Philippians 3:13, NLT)
The right priorities are essential. Few regret the time they spend on life’s most important things, like God and family. Many eventually experience frustration when they realize that what they have invested their time in matters little. Today, please take a moment to ask God to help you invest your life wisely in areas that can make an eternal difference.