Reassessing Your Focus Yields Results

The success of almost everything we do involves another person or persons. Whilst there is always a considerable amount of our success that we’re responsible for, somewhere along the line it almost always involves the input, interaction or response of another. This means that our success will always come down to how effectively we communicate, whether we can get our points and needs across, and whether we can field a healthy interaction that acknowledges the needs and differences of others.

One of the great differentiators in how people communicate is whether they are outwardly or inwardly focused when they do so, and the results can be surprisingly different.

Often, when we think we’re communicating well, effectively and even expansively, we’re still left with a little niggle when the desired results don’t seem as free-flowing or don’t feel as good as we expected them to. Sometimes we’re still left feeling less than secure about the support we receive, or that what we communicated wasn’t received exactly as we’d planned it.

One of the greatest barriers to effective communication is the direction of our focus, and when we’ve been put in a position of defence in the past, if we’re uncertain of the ground we currently stand on or anticipate less than favourable results, our focus can be inward instead of outward. This is a natural human response and is often subconscious.

When we are feeling…