Late last year, I came up with phrases that would serve as reminders and guide posts into my vision and priorities of 2021. If I was feeling out of whack or if I felt like I was veering off course, these phrases would bring me back home. They are the following:

* Focus is Freedom

* Pause and anchor

* Create don't consume

* Effortless but not easy

Freedom is a high value for me. In fact, it's probably my highest value. I crave freedom. Everyday. I have a daily internal dashboard and freedom is consistently tracked. Internally, I am always asking, "Where is my sense of freedom and what experience can I create to bring freedom into this moment?"

My phrase "Focus is Freedom" came from a syndrome I suffer from. It's called Shiny Object Syndrome.

Do you find that your body tightens up if there's a task at hand that you find boring? Do you want to immediately escape that moment and find something shiny and fun to do instead? You probably have this syndrome.

Do you commit yourself to a vision and then find that you never finish it through? You instead fill your time with other fun shiny projects and suddenly you're spinning a few plates. Often, they're slightly more than you can handle and while people are happy with your results, you know you're distracted. The quality of your work could be better. You probably have this syndrome.

For the record, I'm not sure if this syndrome is medically recognized. I've never bothered to actually look it up. I don't remember how I came across it, but I do remember it was right around the time I started to get certified within the Enneagram (I'm a Type 7!). I remember identifying with this syndrome so strongly that it stuck with me. You see, what I learned is that people who suffer from this syndrome have Freedom as their top value too. In its most extreme manifestation, these people are the thrill seekers, daredevils, and death defiers. This might have been that person you dated a few years back and had commitment issues. If you social media stalk them these days, yep, still single. There's nothing wrong with this. The reality is they don't have commitment issues at all. It's just their highest commitment is to create Freedom - whatever reality that might be.

My impossible vision and goal this year was to create as much money I've ever made and achieve it from the highest sense of freedom I've ever felt. I am committed to creating this vision while thriving in all the roles I have as a husband, father, big brother, and business owner. This impossible vision and goal wasn't going to be easy, but it would be effortless.

In order to manifest this presence, I knew I needed to approach my Shiny Object syndrome differently. As I pondered on my 2021 vision, I knew that I had to laser focus. As you know, the notion of focus + this syndrome do not go together though. So I got curious, what if they did? What if focus equaled freedom?

Boom. That's it. That's the thing about powerful questions, they create exponential insight that would pay dividends forever. In that moment, I got my insight. Focus IS freedom.

We're barely four months into 2021, but here are the learnings & results of working with this insight so far:

* I'm not the type to have a planner notebook but I got one. I recommend the Productivity Planner from Intelligent Change. I got ruthless about prioritizing. This planner helps me get clear on which levers to pull that will create the most meaningful progress towards my vision.

* The planner has me radically clear on daily tasks I need to complete that will ever so slightly move the needle toward my vision. Some tasks are boring. When I feel that tightness in my body with these boring tasks, I stick with it. I commit to sticking with it for 15 mins longer than I would. And on the other side? It becomes effortless. I start to enjoy the task. I get creative. I feel free.

* There is ALWAYS more to do. ALWAYS! It's never-ending. Because I am clear on the 1-2 levers I need to execute on everyday, I have conditioned my brain to feel satisfied once those are complete. I am overachieving if I complete more than the 1-2 tasks. When necessary, I am okay leaving the other tasks to the next day. I go play with my kids. I work out. I read. I flirt with my wife. I do things I enjoy. I come back to the same tasks the next day and find that nothing fell apart. In fact, I'm more energized and creative. The quality of the work increases.

This last point is probably the biggest insight recently. I'm not a machine. When we are in productivity and achievement mode, we get in our routines as if we're robots. The planner is quite excellent at challenging me to think of the ONE thing that would create the most impact in my day. Everything else is secondary. They're not urgent. I took that seriously and it created this rhythm within me that's felt really good so far.

Look, I'm playing myself up here but I'm also not even close to the impossible money goal I set out to pursue this year. Here's the thing, it was impossible to begin with! Guess what though, I'm creating opportunities this year that I never thought would have been possible last year. And so far, I'm on track to create more income compared to past years. More importantly, I feel the most free I've ever felt. And the most present I've ever been. And things feel as if they're effortlessly happening. I don't feel like I'm striving or white-knuckling. I'm less attached to outcomes but more committed to them. I'm sitting well within this "Focus is Freedom" mentality.

What's your relationship to your goal and vision so far this year?

Are you enjoying the journey?

Are you treating yourself like a machine as you pursue your goals?

Reminder, you're not a machine.

You're human.

Beautifully flawed.

Pursue productivity. Achieve. Make s**t happen.

And also, create room for precious human experiences.

Like joy.

Rest.

Laziness.

Loneliness. Or languishing. (Love the NY times article on this word)

Playfulness.

Silliness.

Connection.

Love.

Feel into the depth of these experiences.

Lose yourself in conversation and a glass of wine.

Don't miss the moments.

They add richness within the achievement path.

Your outcomes don't define you. You're not a machine.

You're human.

Fiercely loving you,

Jomar

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