FOCUS September 1, 1999, after eight stellar seasons with the White Sox, Frank Thomas hit rock bottom. He’d lost the edge on the baseball diamond—his last two years were mediocre at best. The Chicago sports beat writers were pounding him, many were writing him off. Thomas knew he had to do something, so he called his former hitting instructor, Walt Hriniak for help. The front office agreed to bring Hriniak back in to try to salvage Thomas’ career. After studying tapes of Thomas at bat, Hriniak knew what was wrong, mechanically that is, with Thomas’ swing. He’d lost the pace to the swing, it was too long and the movement of his head wasn’t smooth anymore, it was jerky. Hriniak could fix those problems in less than an hour in the batting cage. But something else was wrong—something only Thomas could fix. Thomas had lost his focus. Along with some family problems, Thomas was getting hammered in the business world. “Big Hurt Enterprises,” his sports marketing company went belly up and “Un-D-Nyable,” his record company was draining his personal finances. Thomas had a decision to make, did he continue to dabble in this and that, including his baseball career, or did he funnel his attention back into what made him great in the first place—baseball. He made his decision. He put the distractions behind him and today he is leading his team into a pennant race. In baseball, as in life, focus is not optional. —USA TODAY BASEBALL WEEKLY, Sept. 6-12, 2000, p. 8-10 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson "And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 3:25 NASB) ________________________________________ FOCUS Despite suffering three broken bones in her right foot six months prior to the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, Laura Wilkinson of the United States pulled off an upset in the women's platform final, taking the lead with her third dive and holding it through the final round to win the first U.S. gold medal in the event since 1964. After winning the event, the announcer asked the predictable questions. "How do you manage the fear of leaping off a thirty meter tower?" "I just pick a spot and focus on it," Wilkinson replied. Later in the interview the announcer asked, "Tell us how you managed to come from behind to win this event." Laura's reply, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Again, her answer had to do with focus. —Go the Distance, p. 41 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson For more information on Go the Distance, visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805421505/freshministry
FOCUS In his book, "Next Generation Leader", Andy Stanley writes, "During the 2001 baseball season, Greg Maddux of the Atlanta Braves had a batting average of .253-average by professional standards. Yet he is one of the most highly sought-after players in the National Baseball League. Why? Because in his role as pitcher, he struck out 173 batters the previous year. His skill with a bat is not what makes him an indispensable part of the lineup. His ninety-mile-an-hour fastball does. Should he spend more time working on his hitting? Maybe—but certainly not at the expense of his pitching." —"Next Generation Leader", p. 20. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson Nehemiah 6:3-4 (HCSB) "So I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?' [4] Four times they sent me the same proposal, and I gave them the same reply." ________________________________________ FOCUS Just because a person can do something, doesn't mean they should do it. Effective leaders know who to focus their attention on what they should do, while choosing not to do other things they could do. Billy Graham modeled the principle of focus when he turned down NBC's offer of a million dollars to co-host a TV show and Hollywood's offer to star in two movies. Graham had focus—it was to preach the gospel. —Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, p. 68-9. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson James 4:17 (NKJV) "Therefore, to him who knows to
do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."
FOCUS/GOOD NEWS A newspaper in Newark, New Jersey has received a contract to publish positive news. The owner of the Newark Weekly News pitched an idea to the city council stating that his paper would only publish positive aspects of the city's news. The Newark City Council liked the idea so much that they awarded the paper a $100,000 no bid contract. Under the contract, the paper will work with the city's public information officer to spread positive aspects of the city, and will only generate stories based on leads from the council and the mayor's office. John O'Brien, executive director of the New Jersey Press Association does not like the idea. He says it was bad public policy to use tax dollars in that way. O'Brien claims "The press role is supposed to be that of a watchdog." The paper's owner, Howard Scott sees the contract differently. He asked, "Do we have critical reporters on staff? No. Do we have investigative reporters? No. "He added, "Our niche is the good stuff. People have come to know it, and they love it." —Associated Press, Newark Paying Newspaper to Print Only Good News About City, October 24, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. Philippians 4:1 (PhillipsNT) "So, my brothers whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, do stand firmly in the Lord, and remember how much I love you." FOCUS
Before 2008 begin Robyn Okrant decided to see if there really was one simple path to satisfaction in life. She decided to set aside the many voices offering happiness and fulfillment and focus on the advice of one person for an entire year. Every day in 2008, Okrant focused on the advice of talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey, a task she labeled “Living Oprah.” Okrant took every piece of advice, bought every product, and acted on every tip that she found on the daily talk show, in “O” magazine, and at Oprah.com. At the end of the year, she had stocked her closet with the 10 basic items every woman should own, including a basic black dress and leopard flats. She even bought a $489 Kindle DX, which she says had the added benefit of being a “guy magnet.” Okrant chronicled her journey in a blog, and in a new book. She says the experiment was worth the stress on her marriage and career, because it taught her about the consumerism that drives so much of our culture. Okrant says she had to make a concerted effort not to be distracted or sidetracked by all the information and products targeting women. She says, “I think what really got driven home for me during ‘Living Oprah” was that turning to the overwhelming amount of media that exists to lead women toward a happier, more fulfilling existence is an incredible mental, physical, and emotional drain. Not to mention expensive!” --Author Follows Oprah’s Advice for one Year, http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/author-oprahs-advice-year/story?id=9255102;December 6, 2009, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. Hebrews 12:2 (CEV) “We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne!” |
