FOCUS VS. FOLD
The concept for this power tool is derived from my personal life experience and information I have learned from my teachers in the areas of spirituality, the martial arts, and NLP.
Throughout our lives we are provided with many opportunities and challenges, some people would say they are one and the same. When faced with an opportunity in our life, how do we employ our thoughts, feelings, and actions; our time, energy, and resources; our attention and intention, our desire and will? Do we Focus or do we Fold? Likewise, when faced with a challenge in our life, how do we employ our thoughts, feelings, and actions; our time, energy, and resources; our attention and intention, our desire and will? Do we Focus or do we Fold?
Do we Focus and bring to bear all the tools and experiences available to us to discover, attract and achieve the maximum potential possible from each opportunity or challenge that presents itself to us so that we may keep moving and growing? Or do we Fold, become overwhelmed, shutdown and get stuck in place?
Although I have placed Focus and Fold at opposite ends of the continuum for this power tool, they are not static. Each is more like a dial, with various settings, which can be positive or negative depending on the perspective in which they are used.
A camera can be set to many different focus points, or perspectives, depending on the need. Focus settings can be near or distant, narrow or panoramic, clear or fuzzy, sunny or cloudy, day or night etc.
Our own Focus settings are also variable. For example, do we focus on moving towards goals or away from pain, do we focus on the internal or the external, on the general or the specific? Do we focus on sameness or difference, on being independent or part of the team? Do we focus on randomness or order, on thinking or doing, on the past, present and future or just now? Do we focus on being responsible and accountable for our life or on remaining a victim? The list can go on and on. Choose your own focus settings as well.
We need to learn which Focus setting, or perspective, to use to meet each opportunity and challenge we face in our lives so that we may continue to move forward and grow towards reaching our maximum potential.
When we Fold in the face of an opportunity or challenge we believe is beyond our ability or capability, for whatever the reasons, real or imagined, we become overwhelmed, shutdown and get stuck. This is a matter of being locked on only one setting, or perspective of the Fold dial.
A tree being whipped by a furious storm learns to fold to the wind to survive the challenge so that it may reach its leaves to the sunshine that follows. Many types of vegetation fold their leaves to survive the challenges of heat and cold. A poker player learns to fold his hand to stay in the game and keep his/her opportunities of winning alive. An army folds into the night to escape its enemy and survive to keep its opportunities alive, and to fight new challenges. There are many settings to the Fold dial. We need to remain open to perceive them and choose which to use.
By learning to recognize whether we are taking the perspective of Focus vs. Fold in a given situation, and what dial setting the perspective we’ve chosen is centered on, we can then decide whether or not it is a valuable one for us to take; one that makes the best use of the opportunity or challenge present. If not, we have the option of adjusting the dial settings to create the maximum potential benefit for ourselves from each opportunity and challenge we face.
Focus vs. Fold offers a powerful perspective that can be used by anyone to make great use of the many opportunities and challenges present in every aspect of their life to move forward and continue to grow. I am using it in mine.
Furthermore, I believe the concept of Focus vs. Fold can be a useful complement to the Power Tools. As I continue to study the different Power Tools and participate in the related teleclasses I am continuing to explore how to develop this concept further.
Your feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
Bruce Paye
