Skip to main content
Jennifer Allwood | 30 Days of Prayer

Need prayer over your business?

Download my 30-day devotional and get the very same prayers I said over my business!

Yes! Get the Devo

It’s really important to know how to stop the noise and distraction and get focused in business.
My daughter used to take horse lessons, and that got me thinking about why these strong, smart animals wear blinders when jumping and racing… What are they so scared of?? And how we sometimes need them as business owners to keep our focus in business.

 

Here is a Facebook Live about Focus in Business, if you’d rather just listen. You can go here.

Why Wear Blinders???

Since horses’ eyes are on the sides of their heads, they have great peripheral vision. With that, they are prone to turning in distraction, which can cause stumbling and falling. Blinders help them to NOT see beside or even behind them. It helps them to FOCUS and stay on their path. 

There are so many analogies that humans and business owners can pull from horses wearing blinders, let’s cover our distractions.

How to Improve your Focus in Business

Ditch the Herd Mentality

Many business owners are part of online groups, which can be helpful and harmful at the same time. We notice others’ social media numbers can make us think that they have had big or little success. Don’t be fooled, it’s just a vanity matrix. Someone with a TON of followers may have no idea what they are talking about. And someone with only a few could have great insight. (Look at Jesus Christ!!! He had such a small flock, but a HUGE influence!!!!) Also, when we are in these groups, our ideas and gut feelings are pushed down. We have a natural fear in doing what hasn’t been done before, and being something different. We stay in these groups because we want to be around and the comfort of proven success.  We FEAR failure. If we stay safe and stay put, we can miss the nudge from GOD to do something different or try something new, we don’t stay on our own path. 

Stop Watching the Competition

Don’t get me wrong, in business, competition is a MUST. It pushes us higher.  But as business owners, we have a tendency to look at our competitors, keep tabs on what they are doing. We watch: prices, posts, courses, launches, products, photos, websites … STOP IT!!! We HAVE to remember to have the mindset that: MY path is different! THIS is the lane that GOD put me in!! This is MY calling!!! When we start watching what our competition is doing, it will affect us and usually in one of two ways: we become prideful  and “greater than” or we will feel like a loser. Too much confidence or more doubt is just not good for you and your business!!! Read my article about When you feel stuck, average or mediocre at best (and like everyone else is winning)

Ignore the Noise

Our confidence has to be protected from the world, from our heads, our peers and sometimes our own household. Ignore the noise. Ignore the distractions. It come off like arrogance, but we need to put on those blinders when the noise starts, so we can focus on our path. We can’t control the words others use, but we can control how we notice, react and respond. When you really need to focus on you business, like when you’re launching a course, writing a book or coming up with new content, ignore the noise. Coming out with new content

We can’t help but be influenced by others. But we need to FOCUS on what WE are doing on our own race. Let’s not be a carbon copy of our neighbor, competitor or mentor. We have a different path with our own uniqueness, aka NOT a version of someone else. We were made different for a reason. And we need to own it and sometimes we literally need put our hands up as horse blinders to focus. 

Remember that GOD has a plan for every person on this Earth. And it is completely different from anyone else’s. If we aren’t distracted, we can focus on that God’s path. Trust your instincts. Trust the Lord. Focus on your calling!!!

XOXO

Jen

If you found this helpful at all, please consider joining my Inner Circle – it’s a fabulous group of like-minded creative business owners and we will help you focus with monthly trainings and action items to grow your online audience!  Get on the waitlist here!

 

 

3 Comments

  • janet snider says:

    Jennifer
    My name is Janet
    I own
    One Painted Girl
    I listen to each of your podcasts and would to Thank You for your Great insights 🙂
    I am on your wait list for your inner circle teachings
    I hope I get in 🙂

  • Ellie Jensen says:

    Your right I have struggled with everything, trying to get my business going. From posting my wreaths on my new computer, I didn’t know how to work to having my husband thinking I made a mistake. I felt like such a failure My son told me to not listen to everyone else you know you have a good product. That got me thinking I just need to settle down take a deep breath and “give myself a lecture on self confidence and do it” It’s starting to come together, thank you son. I still have a lot to learn, but I will not give up

  • Elle says:

    Thanks for this post.

Leave a Reply