Depth of Field Determines Degree of Growth

Guest article by Zach Clark

Keeping Your Vision in Focus

Whenever someone asks me for advice on how to achieve better focus, my question to them is what is your focus on?

Focus is a vision activity. Just like a camera adjusting from blur to blur until steadied, the big picture for your ministry sharpens only after the focal point is established.

What do you see for your ministry thirty years from now?

You must do some searching and praying. What are you wanting to be true for your family, in your ministry, in your business, for your health, and with your own finances? These are big questions. It’s a big process to answer these questions, but it’s worth it.

When you know where you are trying to go financially and where you are trying to go with the impact of your organization – you will be amazed at how things fall into place.

Choose five major things to move forward on for the next one-hundred days. When goals are spot on, tracked, and exciting to you – energizing you – it’s easier to keep your focus. You know what’s important and what you’re working for.

Research has shown that it is very hard to mobilize focus among people, particularly groups of people. Sustained energy and focus beyond these one-hundred days is difficult and unlikely; relaunching can be an even greater challenge.

Set goals. Near-term and long-term goals are a must for transformation.

Regardless of your time chunks when setting goals, for example six-week and hundred-day goals, it’s important to have a weekly review. You’ve got to put your arms around everything you’re doing.

What are the goals? What is the progress? How are you scheduling your time? What meetings did you have? What accomplishments did you have this week that you need to follow up on to keep moving? What is coming ahead?

This may take you an hour or it may take several hours. You will know when you are doing a weekly review right because you will feel your energy level for the work ahead going up…and the anxiety level coming down.

Your calendar should reflect your priorities.

If I were to look at your appointments for the next month, would I find multiple face-to-face meetings and follow-up phone calls scheduled? Intentional planning is reflected on your calendars.

As always, I look forward to seeing and hearing what you do with this. A seed planted today is a harvest for tomorrow.

Keeping your vision focused starts with a clear and concise strategy. Use our [strategy statement tool][1] to help you create this for your ministry or organization.

[1]: https://developmentandleadership.org/strategy-statement-tool/