Tbe pursuit of success or anything for that matter is best achieved if you have a singular purpose. When it comes to war, it is impossible to win if you are fighting on more than one front. In the infinite game of life the same rules apply. Having the discipline to focus on one thing at a time brings forth so much, which in turns inspires that much more.
Singular purpose is key and yet so many of us lead fragmented lives. We want so many things but we don’t get after any of them. We don’t take the time what it is that we really want and what is within our capabilities to achieve. It is very true that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but with singular purpose, you make more steps, with more confidence, getting results sooner.
What does singular purpose look like? I think it is mental. It borders an obsession in some way. Not an unhealthy obsession, but feels like what you are doing is somehow divine. That you’re following a voice. Following a call, and you know it’s right because a whole new world is opening up right before your eyes.
This doesn’t mean that you cannot have more than one love or more than one desire. You may want to write poetry, learn to dance the cha cha, and take up painting with pastels. There is no need to get rid of or limit the things you want out of life, but when you are carving out what needs to be done today or tomorrow, it is important to pick one of them, and to run with it for a long period of time.
It is impossible to do everything. Impossible to know everything. Life is a beautiful frustrating exercise. We can see what we want and we think we know how to get it, but our execution is sloppy and slow and unsure. Singular purpose helps with that. If you focus on that one thing in your life that you desire above everything else, you will find the time, the patience, and the discipline to see it through. Once you get there, you can do some more of it, or you can simply choose to do something completely different.
But you cannot do that if you don’t give everything you have and don’t devote a good chuck of time to it.
For me the three passions that dominate my life is writing, photography, and music. The last little while, writing has been my top priority as I was willfully putting together my first book. That work seems behind me now, and although there is more writing and publishing to be done, my photography beckons at the moment. I have to change my singular focus from one area to another. I could do both but I wouldn’t get much traction.
The results are much better, if you pick one thing. One thing only, and like a hungry dog on a bone, pursue it like your life depends on it.
Cover photo generously provided by photographer Alan King.
https://unsplash.com/@alanking
