Follow One Course until Successful (F.O.C.U.S)
Robert Kiyosaki is well known for his series of books touching on investment and business. They are quite a number where the renowned investor and businessman takes people through the course of his life growing up under the influence of two dads, the poor dad and the rich dad. For those who have not had the opportunity of reading his books, I encourage you to do so. His teachings and approach to succeeding about business or otherwise are phenomenal. Throughout his entire books (The rich dad poor dad, cash flow quadrant, why A students work for C students etc), Kiyosaki touches one very important lesson: “sticking to one course on the path to success”. He is a real estate investor, and is of the opinion that real estate is the best investment to pursue. He is keen to explain his great interest in real estate, why it works for him and why it doesn’t automatically mean it would be so for someone else. The teaching he highlights from purchase of 3 green houses and trading them for one red hotel proves the same
Aside from Kiyosaki, I have also been fascinated by writings of other investors as well, Warren Buffet is one of those. Buffet is a respected investor even referred as the greatest investor of our time has been quoted saying “keep all your eggs in one basket, just watch the basket closely”. Warren is of the belief that one should only invest in his area of expertise. Put in other words, don’t invest in a business you have no clue about.
Repetitio est mater studiorum- repetition is the mother of learning. By repeating something so many times, you consequently become great at doing it. You learn the basics, and then move on to think like a pro. So how exactly does this apply in the world of success and business?
Many people have tried different things and failed, I personally have. Trust me; I am in no way condemning anyone for taking that route. If anything, I applaud the boldness and the courage. It’s not easy taking such steps. Nonetheless, what I have failed to see in many is a level of improvement from their previous self. You see, failure is supposed to be a learning opportunity in which you get the chance to be better than you were when you first went into something; to come back smarter, wiser, emotionally balanced and to learn the rules of the game. One thing failure is supposed to do is teach you the art of mastery.
When Thomas Edison set out to invent the electric bulb, he failed 1,000 times. When asked why he was pursuing such a futile endeavor, his answer was that of a man determined to achieve his goal regardless of all the constraints. He said he had not failed 1,000 times but instead he had learned a thousand ways that were not working. The failures ultimately made him the man he was. So did Abraham Lincoln when he wanted to become the President of the United States and Henry Ford on his quest to invent the Ford flathead v-8 engine for Ford Motors.
What I have come to notice about all these great men is their shear resilience and belief in their dream so much that they are willing to bet everything on it. To be successful in business or anything really, you have to pick a dream bigger than you and then F.O.C.U.S — Follow One Course Until You are Successful. This does not in any way mean that you are not going to fail a couple of times; it doesn’t guarantee that the path is going to be easy but the assurance it gives is that eventually, if you hold on and listen to the lessons of failure, you will triumph.
We are told of the story a man who gave up on gold search when he was so close to it. Don’t stop chasing your dream, simply because one way did not work out. If opportunity fails to knock on the door, try checking the window.
