Product Description

Whether they are corporate professionals, budding entrepreneurs, or they own a home business, most people are looking to achieve more in less time, while earning enough money to live comfortably. This book reveals the proven techniques thousands of people have used to attain all of the money they wanted while living healthy, happy and balanced lives. The Power of Focus, the new blockbuster from the coauthors of the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul, is a practical no-nonsense guide that shows readers how to reach their business, personal and financial goals without getting burned out in the process.

Canfield, Hansen, and Hewitt have taken the best ideas from their own successful careers (seventy-nine years of combined business expertise), and distilled them into ten powerful focusing principles. The result is a treasury of insights that is enjoyable to read and easy to understand. At the outset, the book identifies the three most important fundamentals for consistent success: developing unusual clarity; understanding that habits determine your future; and using a "no exceptions policy" approach to focus on what you want. Numerous anecdotes and inspiring stories help to reinforce each principle.

This is a must-read for business people, sales managers, entrepreneurs, and anyone who is serious about improving their personal awareness.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3409 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 310 pages

From Booklist
Canfield and coauthors Mark Hansen and Les Hewitt recommend that we concentrate on our strengths, set goals, and focus on them. Canfield and Hansen created the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, which now has 27 titles and has sold 47.5 million copies. They have added new ingredients to their pot; their mix now includes a weekly television show, electronic games, and even refrigerator magnets. All the while, though, their basic stock has remained the same: inspirational, heartwarming, and homey stories that make people feel good. Now they detail 10 "focusing strategies" they say they used to get their first books published and to build on their success. The authors include new stories and their own personal anecdotes to show the importance of having successful habits, creating balance, maintaining confidence, building excellent relationships, etc. David Rouse

About the Author
JACK CANFIELD is one of America's leading experts in the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. He is a highly sought-after trainer whose clients have included AT&T, Campbell's Soup, Johnson & Johnson, Re/Max and Virgin Records. In addition to the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Jack has coauthored several books, including Dare to Win and The Aladdin Factor.

MARK VICTOR HANSEN is a professional speaker who has taught success strategies to millions of people. He has appeared on CNN, Eye to Eye and Oprah, and has been featured in national magazines and newspapers including Entrepreneur, Success, Time and U.S. News & World Report. He has authored Future Diary, How to Achieve Total Prosperity and The Miracle of Tithing and coauthored the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

LES HEWITT founded The Achiever's Coaching Program in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which now includes 450 training programs operating in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland. For the past twenty years, he has coached hundreds of businesspeople and entrepreneurs to achieve higher profits and productivity.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

FOCUSING STRATEGY #1

Your Habits Will
Determine Your Future

"It's so hard when contemplated in
advance, and so easy when you do it." —Robert M. Pirsig

Brent Vouri knew he was going to die.

The severe asthmatic attack had deteriorated into adult respiratory distress syndrome. To put it simply, his lungs had completely seized, just like a car engine when it finally runs out of oil.

The last thing he remembered that night was the hospital floor rushing up to meet him, then, total blackness. The coma lasted for fifteen days, during which time his weight dropped by forty pounds. When he finally awoke, he was unable to speak for another two weeks. That was good, because for the first time in years it gave him time to think. Why, at only twenty years of age, had his life almost evaporated? The doctors had done a miraculous job keeping him alive, when others thought he had no chance for survival.

Brent reflected deeply. The asthma had been a part of his life since birth. He was well known at the hospital after numerous visits to stabilize his condition. Despite having lots of energy as a child, he was never able to participate in any physical activities like other kids, such as skating or hockey. At age ten, his parents divorced and all of his pent-up frustrations finally boiled over. The next few years were a continuous downward spiral leading to drugs, alcohol abuse and a smoking habit that consumed thirty cigarettes per day.

He didn't finish school and aimlessly drifted from one part-time job to the next. Even though his health was steadily getting worse, he chose to ignore it—until that fateful night when his body said, "no more." With time to reflect, he came to this all-important conclusion: "I brought this on myself through years of making bad choices." His new resolve was, "Never again; I want a life."

Brent gradually became stronger and was eventually released from the hospital. Soon after, he mapped out a positive game plan to improve his life. First he enrolled in a fitness program. One of his initial goals was to win a T-shirt for completing twelve sessions. He did it. Three years later he was teaching aerobics. The momentum was building. Five years after that he competed in the National Aerobics Championships. Along the way he decided to further his education—first, completing his high school diploma and then successfully working his way through university.

Next, he and a friend started their own manufacturing business, Typhoon Sportswear Ltd., www.typhoonsportswear.com, specializing in producing apparel for retail chains. Starting with only four employees, the company recently celebrated its fifteenth anniversary.

Today it's a multimillion-dollar enterprise with sixty-six people and an international distribution network supplying high-profile clients such as Nike. By deciding to make better choices and create better habits, Brent Vouri turned his life around—from yesterday's zero to today's hero!

Isn't that an inspiring story?

Here's what's important: Life doesn't just happen to you. It's all about choices and how you respond to every situation. If you are in the habit of continually making bad choices, disaster often occurs. Your everyday choices ultimately determine whether you end up living with abundance or living in poverty. However, life never completely closes the door to opportunity.

Consistent choices lay the foundation for your habits, as youÆll find out in the next few pages. And your habits play a major role in how your future unfolds. This includes the habits you display to the business world every day, as well as the variety of behaviors that show up in your personal life. Throughout this book, you'll find strategies that can be applied to both work and home. Your job is to review all of them and implement the ones that will give you the greatest rewards. By the way, all of these strategies work equally well for men and women. They are not gender specific. If you havenÆt noticed, one of the most exciting developments in the marketplace today is the rapid growth of women entrepreneurs.

In this chapter, we've laid out the most important elements about habits. First youÆll discover how habits really work. Then you'll learn how to identify bad habits and how to change them. This will allow you to check out your own specific habits and determine which ones are unproductive. Finally, we'll show you a unique Successful Habits Formula, a simple but powerful strategy that will help you transform your bad habits into successful habits. Using this technique will ensure that you stay focused on what works, instead of what doesn't work.

Successful people have successful habits

Unsuccessful People Don't!

How Habits Really Work

Your habits will determine your future

What is a habit? Simply stated, a habit is something you do so often it becomes easy. In other words, it's a behavior that you keep repeating. If you persist at developing a new behavior, eventually it becomes automatic.

For example, if you learn to drive a car with a standard gearshift, the first few lessons are usually interesting. One of the big challenges is figuring out how to synchronize the clutch and accelerator pedals so you have a nice, smooth gear change. If you release the clutch too quickly, the car stalls. If you press down too hard on the accelerator without releasing the clutch, the engine roars but you don't go anywhere. Sometimes the car jumps down the street like a kangaroo, surging and stopping as the new driver struggles with the pedals. However, with practice, the gear change eventually becomes smooth and you don't think about it anymore.

Les:

We are all creatures of habit. When I drive home from my office every day, there are nine traffic lights along the route. Often I get home and donÆt remember any of the lights. It's like I'm unconscious as I drive. If my wife asks me to make a detour to pick up something on the way home, it's not uncommon for me to totally forget because I've programmed myself to take the same way home every night.

The great news is that you can reprogram yourself any time you choose to do so. If you're struggling financially, this is important to know!

Let's say you want to be financially independent. Doesn't it make sense to check your money-making habits? Are you in the habit of paying yourself first every month? Do you consistently save and invest at least 10 percent of your income? The answer is either ôyesö or ôno.ö Immediately you can see if you are moving in the right direction. The key word here is consistent. That means every month. And every month is a good habit. Most people dabble when it comes to growing their money. They are very inconsistent.

Suppose you start a savings and investment program. For the first six months you diligently put your 10 percent away according to plan. Then something happens. You borrow the money to take a vacation, and you tell yourself you'll make it up in the next few months. Of course you don't—and your financial independence program is stalled before it even gets off the ground! By the way, do you know how easy it is to become financially secure? Starting at age eighteen if you invest one hundred dollars per month compounding annually at ten percent, you will have more than $1.1 million tucked away at age sixty-five. Even if you don't start until you are forty years old, there's hope, although it will take more than a daily dollar to do it.

This is called a no exceptions policy. In other words, you commit to your better financial future every single day. It's what separates the people who have from the people who don't have. (In chapter 9, Taking Decisive Action, you'll learn a lot more about wealth creation.)

Let's look at another situation. If maintaining excellent health is high on your list of priorities, exercising three times a week may be the minimum standard to keep you in shape. A No Exceptions Policy means you will maintain this exercise habit no matter what happens, because you value the long-term benefits.

People who dabble at change will quit after a few weeks or months. And they usually have a long list of excuses why it didn't work out for them. If you want to distance yourself from the masses and enjoy a unique lifestyle, understand this—your habits will determine your future.

It's that important. Remember, successful people don't drift to the top. It takes focused action, personal discipline and lots of energy every day to make things happen. The habits you develop from this day forward will ultimately determine how your future works out. Rich or poor. Healthy or unhealthy. Fulfilled or unfulfilled. Happy or unhappy. It's your choice, so choose wisely.

YOUR HABITS WILL DETERMINE
YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE

Many people today are concerned about their lifestyle. Phrases like, "I'm looking for a better quality of life," or "I just want to simplify my life," are now commonplace. It seems the headlong rush for material success and all the trappings of a so-called successful life are not enough. To be truly rich includes not only financial freedom, but developing rich, meaningful relationships, enriching your health, and enjoying a rich balance between your career and your personal life.

The nourishment of your own spirit or soul is also an essential requirement. This takes time to explore and expand. It is a never- ending process. The more you learn about yourself—how you think, how you feel, what your true purpose is and how you want to live—the more your life will flow.

Instead of just working hard every week, you will begin to make better choices based on intuition and instinctively knowing the right thing to do. It is this higher level of awareness that determines your daily quality of life. In chapter 10, Living On Purpose, we'll show you a unique system that will make all of th...

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Customer Reviews

A must read, especially in this age of distractions...
A scattered person rarely attains the goals he or she is seeking. Using the simple strategies in this book you will learn to harness the power of focus and quickly attain goals and results you have been searching for. It is a must read for people seeking success of any kind. Make Today Great! Tom Beal

Maybe the best self-help book of them all.
Sometimes in life, you find a real gem. Like the moment when you knew without any doubt you had found the person you would spend your life with. If you have never read THE POWER OF FOCUS by Canfield, Hanson and Hewitt, you just stumbled across one of life's little gems. This book has the ability to unleash the greatness within you that has been there all along, just waiting to be unleashed.

Don't get me wrong, you're not going to read this book and have your life miraculously change. I believe the authors say it best in their final words. "All the strategies we have shared with you really work. They can dramatically change your life for the better. But only if you choose to use them".

The book focuses on ten strategies to help you reach your maximum potential in your business, personal and financial life. Some of these strategies may sound simplistic to you at first, but putting deodorant on a fever blister to draw out the moisture sounds simplistic too. The point is, simple can often achieve the results your looking for. There's no sense in over-complicating things.

Each of the ten strategies are outlined in their own chapter and followed by practical "action steps" to coach you along. You will find other exercises as well. I recommend buying this book along with a spiral notebook. You'll need it.

If you're ready to take actionable steps in improving every aspect of your life, this book is definitely for you.

Pastor Monty Rainey

This should be in everyones library, a must read
I have a library with hundreds of books in it. If I were told I could only keep 10 books, this would be one of them. If you are a manager of other people, you must read this book. Then find a way to share it with others. You will find a powerful chapter related to goal setting and performance. " If you do not set goals, someone else will set them for you" The book goes on to tell the story of a man who was a dentist and hated his work. He said that his mother wanted him to be a dentist so she chose his education and career path. Now as an adult male, he hated his work and confessed he never wanted to be a dentist. I see people every day who are trapped in jobs they never wanted or doing things they dont want to do simply becuase they failed to understand the pinciples in this book. There is much more content than just goal setting. There are powerfull tools to help you with time managment, decision making, and sections to help you discover who you are and what you really should be doing with your skills and talents. I recommend that you find the following book as a companion to this one: " Focusing Your Life" by Bobb Biehl