MAY 2011

The Power of Focus

How to Hit Your Business, Personal and Financial
Targets with Absolute Certainty
by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Les Hewitt

Create More Success

10 Simple Strategies to Boost
Your Results
QUICK OVERVIEW
In The Power of Focus, personal-achievement mentors Jack Canfield, Mark Victor
Hansen and Les Hewitt explain that three of the biggest challenges facing people today
are time pressures, financial pressures and the struggle to maintain a healthy balance
between work and home. Their pointed advice is geared toward finding solutions to
these challenges, and the strategies they offer are practical whether youre attempting
to reshape your professional or personal life.
The authors also explain that the main reason most people struggle professionally
and personally is simply due to a lack of focus caused by procrastination, distractions
and interruptions. They offer readers 10 Focus Strategies to develop forward action
and create momentum in achieving success in life. This summary focuses on two
of these ten strategies: Successful People Have Successful Habits and Consistent
Persistence. Additionally, weve included an exercise that will help you understand that
everythingincluding success and failureis a choice.

APPLY AND ACHIEVE

Canfield, Hansen and Hewitt address an important confidence factor that few other
personal-development books spend much time talking abouteliminating unfinished
business. One common mental blockade of unfinished business is forgiveness.
To release yourself totally from the baggage of the past, you must learn to forgive,
they write. There are two sides to forgiveness. First, you need to forgive the people
who obstructed you in the pastparents, friends, relatives or teachers. No matter
how traumatic the experience, to be free you must forgive them. This may not be easy,
but its essential if you want to have peace of mind and a happier future.
How do you do this? Write a letter, make a phone call, have a face-to-face
conversation, whatever it takes, but it is of paramount importance that you settle the
issue within yourself. Just let it go, and move on.

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Health Communications Inc.

2000, Jack Canfield,
Mark Victor Hansen, Les Hewitt
ISBN: 9781558747524
309 pages, $14.95

SUCCESS Points
In this book youll learn
how to:
Change a bad habit in
three fundamental steps
Find and contact
successful mentors
Handle whats holding
you back
Identify whether youre a
Starter or Finisher

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SUCCESS BOOK SUMMARIES

The Power of Focus

Second, forgive yourself. Silence forever those negative

thoughts of guilt. The past is history. You will never be able to
change it. Instead, accept the fact that whatever you did, your
choices were based on your level of knowledge and awareness at
the time.
Break down the barrier of unfinished business by
practicingforgiveness.
rent Vouri knew he was going to die.
The severe asthmatic attack had deteriorated
into adult respiratory distress syndrome. To put it
simply, his lungs had completely seized, just like
a car engine when it finally runs out of oil. The last thing he
remembered that night was the hospital floor rushing up to
meet him, then, total blackness. The coma lasted for fifteen
days, during which time his weight dropped by forty pounds.
When he finally awoke, he was unable to speak for another
two weeks. That was good, because for the first time in years it
gave him time to think. Why, at only twenty years of age, had
his life almost evaporated? The doctors had done a miraculous
job keeping him alive, when others thought he had no chance
forsurvival.
Brent reflected deeply. The asthma had been a part of his life
since birth. He was well known at the hospital after numerous
visits to stabilize his condition. Despite having lots of energy
as a child, he was never able to participate in any physical
activities like other kids, such as skating or hockey. At age ten,
his parents divorced and all of his pent-up frustrations finally
boiled over. The next few years were a continuous downward
spiral leading to drugs, alcohol abuse and a smoking habit that
consumed thirty cigarettes per day.
He didnt finish school and aimlessly drifted from one
part-time job to the next. Even though his health was steadily
getting worse, he chose to ignore ituntil that fateful night
when his body said, no more. With time to reflect, he came
to this all-important conclusion: I brought this on myself
through years of making bad choices.
His new resolve was, Never again; I want a life.
Brent gradually became stronger and was eventually released
from the hospital. Soon after, he mapped out a positive game
plan to improve his life. First he enrolled in a fitness program.
One of his initial goals was to win a T-shirt for completing
twelve sessions. He did it. Three years later he was teaching
aerobics. The momentum was building. Five years after that

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he competed in the National Aerobics Championships. Along

the way he decided to further his educationfirst, completing
his high school diploma and then successfully working his way
through university.
Next, he and a friend started their own manufacturing
business, Typhoon Sportswear Ltd., specializing in producing
apparel for retail chains. Starting with only four employees, the
company recently celebrated its fifteenth anniversary.

Your everyday choices

ultimately determine whether
you end up living with
abundance or living in poverty.
However, life never completely
closes the door to opportunity.
Today its a multimillion-dollar enterprise with sixty-six
people and an international distribution network supplying
high-profile clients such as Nike. By deciding to make better
choices and create better habits, Brent Vouri turned his life
aroundfrom yesterdays zero to todays hero!
Isnt that an inspiring story?
Heres whats important: Life doesnt just happen to you. Its
all about choices and how you respond to every situation. If
you are in the habit of continually making bad choices, disaster
often occurs. Your everyday choices ultimately determine
whether you end up living with abundance or living in poverty.
However, life never completely closes the door to opportunity.
Consistent choices lay the foundation for your habits.
Your habits play a major role in how your future unfolds.
This includes the habits you display to the business world every
day, as well as the variety of behaviors that show up in your
personal life. These strategies can be applied to both work and
home, and all of these strategies work equally well for men and
women. They are not gender specific. If you havent noticed,
one of the most exciting developments in the marketplace today
is the rapid growth of women entrepreneurs.
Successful people have successful habits; unsuccessful
peopledont!
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SUCCESS BOOK SUMMARIES

The Power of Focus

HOW HABITS REALLY WORK

Your habits will determine your future.
What is a habit? Simply stated, a habit is something you do
so often it becomes easy. In other words, its a behavior that
you keep repeating. If you persist at developing a new behavior,
eventually it becomes automatic.
For example, if you learn to drive a car with a standard
gearshift, the first few lessons are usually interesting. One of
the big challenges is figuring out how to synchronize the clutch
and accelerator pedals so you have a nice, smooth gear change.
If you release the clutch too quickly, the car stalls. If you press
down too hard on the accelerator without releasing the clutch,
the engine roars but you dont go anywhere. Sometimes the car
jumps down the street like a kangaroo, surging and stopping
as the new driver struggles with the pedals. However, with
practice, the gear change eventually becomes smooth and you
dont think about it anymore.
(Les) We are all creatures of habit. When I drive home from
my office every day, there are nine traffic lights along the route.
Often I get home and dont remember any of the lights. Its like
Im unconscious as I drive. If my wife asks me to make a detour
to pick up something on the way home, its not uncommon for
me to totally forget because Ive programmed myself to take the
same way home every night.
The great news is that you can reprogram yourself any time
you choose to do so. If youre struggling financially, this is
important to know!
Lets say you want to be financially independent. Doesnt it
make sense to check your money-making habits? Are you in the
habit of paying yourself first every month? Do you consistently
save and invest at least 10 percent of your income? The answer is
either yes or no.
Immediately you can see if you are moving in the right
direction. The key word here is consistent. That means every
month. And every month is a good habit. Most people
dabble when it comes to growing their money. They are very
inconsistent. In other words, you commit to your better
financial future every single day. Its what separates the people
who have from the people who dont have.

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Get a New Life With

NewHabits
Once a new habit is well-developed, it becomes
your new normal behavior. This is great news!
By superimposing a new behavior on top of your
present behavior, you can create an entirely new
way of doing things. In other words, you simply start
replacing your old bad habits with new successful
habits.
I (Mark) have a friend in his fifties who changed
twenty-four eating habits over a two-year period.
Before he decided to change, he was tired and
overweight, had low energy and lacked motivation for
his work. His bad habits included too many desserts,
fast foods and a bottle of wine every day.
Then he decided to change. It was a long process
and required lots of self-discipline. With the help of
an excellent nutritionist and a personal fitness trainer,
he made a complete turnaround. He has stopped
drinking, has no trouble avoiding desserts and eats
smaller food portions that are well-balanced and
provide maximum energy. He has a new zest for
business and his confidence is at an all-time high.
If other people can make significant changes, why
not you? Remember, nothing will change until you
do. Embrace change as a positive catalyst, one that
will give you more freedom and peace of mind.
If you keep on doing what youve always done,
youll keep on getting what youve always got.

THE SUCCESSFUL
HABITSFORMULA
This is a step-by-step method to help you create better
habits. It works because its simple. You dont need complicated
strategies. This template can be applied to any area of your
life, business or personal. If applied consistently, it will
help you achieve everything you want. There are three
fundamentalsteps:

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SUCCESS BOOK SUMMARIES

1. Clearly identify your bad or unproductive habits.

When you examine your own bad habits, consider the longterm implications. Be totally honest.
2. Define your new successful habit.
Usually this is just the opposite of your bad habit. To motivate
yourself, think about all the benefits and rewards for adopting
your new successful habit. This helps you create a clear picture
of what this new habit will do for you. The more vividly you
describe the benefits, the more likely you are to take action.
3. Create a three-part action plan.
This is where the rubber meets the road. You must take action.
Start with one habit that you really want to change. Focus on your
three immediate action steps and put them into practice. Do it
now. Remember, nothing will change until you do.

CONSISTENT PERSISTENCE
The miracle power that elevates the few is to be found in their industry,
application and perseverance, under the promptings of a brave determined
spirit.Mark Twain
If you take a close look at people who are truly successful in
life, you will find one character trait in abundance.
We call it Consistent Persistence. At first glance, the words
consistent and persistence may seem similar. Thats true, they
are. We have double-barreled them to emphasize the importance
of this habit. In case you feel like skipping over this without due
thought and consideration, heres an important statement to
digest and store forever in the deepest recesses of your brain: You
will never achieve big results in your life without consistent and
persistent action.
Many organizations struggle because their leaders put up with
a high level of inconsistency. Well, we have news for you. The
business world today is a lot different than it was ten years ago.
The performance bar has been raised to a new level. Ineptitude
will not be tolerated.
For example: You call a team meeting for 9 a.m. Monday. Each
one of your twenty sales representatives is asked to attend. At 9:15
a.m. only fourteen people have shown up. Two more eventually
stroll in at 9:25 a.m. and the rest never appear. And its like that
almost every week.
This lack of consistency will wreck your team unity. Usually
a few prima donnas are the root cause. Sometimes they show
up, sometimes they dont. Its really frustrating. In todays world
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the answer is simplelock them out! Thats right, at 9:00 a.m.

sharp, lock the doors of the meeting room. The message will soon
be understood: If you want to play on our team, beconsistent.

The Benefits of Consistency

(Jack and Mark) One of the main reasons we have enjoyed
considerable success with our Chicken Soup for the Soul series of
books is the consistency in setting weekly, monthly and yearly
targets. These are well-defined and challenge us to the max. Our
goals inspire us because we are not exactly sure how we will
accomplish them. This stirs our creative juices. With the help
of our Mastermind Group partners, we always find solutions.
Currently we have twenty-nine Chicken Soup titles inprint.
In our first year of publication, we sold 135,000 books. In year
two, that figure grew to 1.35 million, and in year five (1998),
our total book sales were 13.8 million. We also discovered that
when you have consistent persistence and a proactive game plan,
you build momentum that becomes unstoppable; you develop a
winning streak.
Now put yourself under the microscope for a moment.
What sort of a streak do you have going right now? Does your
consistency show up in real terms every day? Or are you bouncing
around all over the place, dabbling here and there with the
opportunities of life? If you are doing pretty well, we applaud
you. But lets move your abilities to another level, that rarefied
atmosphere where the challenges are greater and the rewards are
even more lucrative.

EMBRACE YOUR GREATEST POWER

We want you to stop right now and make a list of six things you
absolutely have to get done in the next three months. These are
activities that must be completed, for whatever reason. They may
include some of the short-term goals you established earlier. Keep
your statements brief. Opposite each activity that you have to do,
write one word that describes your feelings about it.
Think of how you honestly feel when you visualize each task.
To help you, here are a few examples of feeling words: angry,
sad, happy, excited, upset, worried, frustrated, joyful, loving,
thankful. These are all words that directly relate to emotions.
Choose your own word to describe how you feel about each item
on your Have-To list.
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SUCCESS BOOK SUMMARIES

The
BookPower
Titile of Focus

Have-Tos

Choose-Tos

Now lets review your list. Take a look at each item and, one
at a time, put a line through each task. Thats right, cross it off
yourlist.
Heres why: You dont have to do any of these things. No,
you really dont! Now, you may be protesting that some of these
things really must be done. They cant be avoidedtaxes must
be paid, you say. No, you dont have to pay taxes. You may end
up in jail or pay a fine, but you dont have to pay taxes. These are
just the consequences if you dont paybut you dont have to. In
case you are a little confused by this, lets make a simple defining
statement: In life, you dont have to do anything.

Now, make a list of at least six things you want to do, or choose
to do in the next three months. This is a different list. What are
you really looking forward to doing? Again, choose a word to
describe how you feel about completing each item on your list.
To get the full benefit of this its important that you sit down
and complete this activity now.
Now look at those feeling words. They are probably much more
positive than the ones on your Have-To list. If your activities are
producing positive energy, then you will have a greater capacity
and desire to complete them. Isnt it better to be feeling happy
and excited instead of worried and frustrated?
At this point you may be thinking, Well, its easy to feel good
about the things I want to do, but life isnt always like that. There
are a lot of things I dont like to do, but I have to do them anyway.
Thats just the way it is.
No, it isnt. Heres the mega-point: Everything in life is a
choice. Absolutely everything.

Heres what you need to really

understand: Life will give
you the consequences (of
youractions).
That includes paying taxes, working seventy hours a week, or
staying in a job, business or relationship you dont enjoy.
Now look at your list againwill your world really come to an
end if you do not complete these tasks in the next three months?
Of course not. You may not be happy if you dont complete them,
and there may be real consequences if you dont. We understand
that. The big point we are making is that you dont have to.
Lets switch gears for a minute. (If you are still confused, bear
with us. Everything will become crystal-clear shortly.) Notice
the words you selected to describe your feelings. Based on years
of experience, wed guess a lot of those words are negative,
especially if the task is something you have been putting off for a
while or are not looking forward to. Its normal to feel anxious,
concerned, or frustrated in these situations. Take another look at
the words you used. What sort of energy do these feeling words
bring out in younegative or positive? Youre right! If the feeling
is negative, you automatically create a negative energy that drains
your capacity to perform at a high level.

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Focus On Your
NaturalTalents

The Rolling Stones career has spanned almost forty

years, performing to sold-out stadiums around the world. You
may not like their music, but its hard to deny theirsuccess.
Lets go behind the scenes just before their concert
begins. The stage is set. It took over two hundred people
to build this mammoth structure several stories tall and half
the length of a football field. A convoy of more than twenty
semi-trailers was required to haul it from the last location.
Two private planes jet the key people, including the band,
between cities. Their 1994 world tour earned more than $80
million profit, so its obviously worth the effort!
A limousine pulls up back of the stage. The band
members step out and wait expectantly for their cue call.
Seventy-thousand people erupt into a deafening roar when
the Stones walk on stage and pick up their instruments.
For the next two hours they perform brilliantly, sending their
legions of fans home happy and satisfied. After the final
encore they wave good-bye, step into the waiting limousine
and exit the stadium.
They are masters at applying the habit of Priority Focus.
That means they only do the things they are brilliant at
recording and performing on stageperiod.

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SUCCESS BOOK SUMMARIES

The
BookPower
Titile of Focus

ACTION STEPS

Get more from this SUCCESS Book Summary

by applying what youve learned. Here are
a few questions and thoughts to get you
started today.
1. What bad habits are holding you back?

About the Authors

Jack Canfield is a best-selling author whose

2. What new habits do you need to develop in order to

reach your goals?

focus is to inspire others to live their best lives. In

3. In what areas of your life do you need to consistently

persist?

Soul series, Canfield has worked with numerous

4. How would being consistent change your results?

addition to co-authoring the Chicken Soup for the

companies, including General Electric, Federal
Express, Johnson & Johnson, Sony Pictures, TRW

5. Do you have a proactive game plan for your business?

If no, create one now!

and Virgin Records, plus other organizations such

6. Are you embracing the power of choice?

Presidents Organization. He has appeared on CNN,

7. What are you going to choose to focus on

accomplishing during the next thirty days?

PBS, Today and Oprah.

as the Million Dollar Round Table and the Young

Mark Victor Hansen has taught success

strategies to millions of people. He received the
prestigious Horatio Alger Award in May 2000 and
has appeared on CNN, Today, PBS and Oprah and
has been featured in a number of magazines and
newspapers. In addition, Hansen is the co-author of
the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
Les Hewitt is a dynamic speaker, author,
business coach and sales trainer. Originally from
Northern Ireland, Hewitt is one of the top performance
coaches in North America and the founder of the
highly successful Achievers Coaching Program.

Recommended Reading
If you enjoyed the summary of The Power of Focus,
check out:

Hewitt has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs to

achieve exceptional profits and productivity.

Talent Is Never Enough by John C. Maxwell

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and
William D. Danko

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2011 SUCCESS Media. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced in whole or in
part in any form without prior written permission. Published by SUCCESS Media, 200 Swisher
Rd., Lake Dallas, TX 75065, USA. SUCCESS.com.
Summarized by permission of the publisher, Health Communications Inc. The Power of Focus
written by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt. 2000 by Jack Canfield,
MarkVictor Hansen, and Les Hewitt.

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SUCCESS BOOK SUMMARIES