September 1, 1999, after eight stellar seasons with the White Sox, Frank Thomas hit rock bottom. He’d lost the edge on the baseball diamond—his last two years were mediocre at best. The Chicago sports beat writers were pounding him, many were writing him off.

Thomas knew he had to do something, so he called his former hitting instructor, Walt Hriniak for help. The front office agreed to bring Hriniak back in to try to salvage Thomas’ career. After studying tapes of Thomas at bat, Hriniak knew what was wrong, mechanically that is, with Thomas’ swing. He’d lost the pace to the swing, it was too long and the movement of his head wasn’t smooth anymore, it was jerky. Hriniak could fix those problems in less than an hour in the batting cage. But something else was wrong—something only Thomas could fix.

Thomas had lost his focus. Along with some family problems, Thomas was getting hammered in the business world. “Big Hurt Enterprises,” his sports marketing company went belly up and “Un-D-Nyable,” his record company was draining his personal finances. Thomas had a decision to make, did he continue to dabble in this and that, including his baseball career, or did he funnel his attention back into what made him great in the first place—baseball.

He made his decision. He put the distractions behind him and today he is leading his team into a pennant race.

—USA TODAY BASEBALL WEEKLY, Sept. 6-12, 2000, p. 8-10 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

"And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 3:25 NASB)

Despite suffering three broken bones in her right foot six months prior to the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, Laura Wilkinson of the United States pulled off an upset in the women's platform final, taking the lead with her third dive and holding it through the final round to win the first U.S. gold medal in the event since 1964.

After winning the event, the announcer asked the predictable questions. "How do you manage the fear of leaping off a thirty meter tower?" "I just pick a spot and focus on it," Wilkinson replied. Later in the interview the announcer asked, "Tell us how you managed to come from behind to win this event." Laura's reply, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Again, her answer had to do with focus.

In his book, "Next Generation Leader", Andy Stanley writes, "During the 2001 baseball season, Greg Maddux of the Atlanta Braves had a batting average of .253-average by professional standards. Yet he is one of the most highly sought-after players in the National Baseball League. Why? Because in his role as pitcher, he struck out 173 batters the previous year. His skill with a bat is not what makes him an indispensable part of the lineup. His ninety-mile-an-hour fastball does. Should he spend more time working on his hitting? Maybe—but certainly not at the expense of his pitching."

Nehemiah 6:3-4 (HCSB) "So I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?' [4] Four times they sent me the same proposal, and I gave them the same reply."

Just because a person can do something, doesn't mean they should do it. Effective leaders know who to focus their attention on what they should do, while choosing not to do other things they could do.

Billy Graham modeled the principle of focus when he turned down NBC's offer of a million dollars to co-host a TV show and Hollywood's offer to star in two movies. Graham had focus—it was to preach the gospel.

James 4:17 (NKJV) "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."

A newspaper in Newark, New Jersey has received a contract to publish positive news. The owner of the Newark Weekly News pitched an idea to the city council stating that his paper would only publish positive aspects of the city's news. The Newark City Council liked the idea so much that they awarded the paper a $100,000 no bid contract. Under the contract, the paper will work with the city's public information officer to spread positive aspects of the city, and will only generate stories based on leads from the council and the mayor's office.

John O'Brien, executive director of the New Jersey Press Association does not like the idea. He says it was bad public policy to use tax dollars in that way. O'Brien claims "The press role is supposed to be that of a watchdog."

The paper's owner, Howard Scott sees the contract differently. He asked, "Do we have critical reporters on staff? No. Do we have investigative reporters? No. "He added, "Our niche is the good stuff. People have come to know it, and they love it."

—Associated Press, Newark Paying Newspaper to Print Only Good News About City, October 24, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Philippians 4:1 (PhillipsNT) "So, my brothers whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, do stand firmly in the Lord, and remember how much I love you."

Before 2008 begin Robyn Okrant decided to see if there really was one simple path to satisfaction in life. She decided to set aside the many voices offering happiness and fulfillment and focus on the advice of one person for an entire year. Every day in 2008, Okrant focused on the advice of talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey, a task she labeled “Living Oprah.” Okrant took every piece of advice, bought every product, and acted on every tip that she found on the daily talk show, in “O” magazine, and at Oprah.com. At the end of the year, she had stocked her closet with the 10 basic items every woman should own, including a basic black dress and leopard flats. She even bought a $489 Kindle DX, which she says had the added benefit of being a “guy magnet.”

Okrant chronicled her journey in a blog, and in a new book. She says the experiment was worth the stress on her marriage and career, because it taught her about the consumerism that drives so much of our culture. Okrant says she had to make a concerted effort not to be distracted or sidetracked by all the information and products targeting women. She says, “I think what really got driven home for me during ‘Living Oprah” was that turning to the overwhelming amount of media that exists to lead women toward a happier, more fulfilling existence is an incredible mental, physical, and emotional drain. Not to mention expensive!”

--Author Follows Oprah’s Advice for one Year, http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/author-oprahs-advice-year/story?id=9255102;December 6, 2009, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Hebrews 12:2 (CEV) “We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne!”

Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and George Steinbrenner, the owner of the New York Yankees knew one another well. When Steinbrenner died, Giuliani had this to say about him, "The one thing about George you could always count on was, there were no ulterior motives. It was all about winning. George wanted to win for New York and for the Yankee tradition. No rebuilding years, no four-year plans. He wanted to win now."

Philippians 3:8 (NASB77) “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ,”

A 69-year-old Michigan man decided to delay surgery to install a pacemaker because he did not want to miss an important college football game. Major Hester was scheduled for the surgery on the Thursday before the big game. He asked the doctors to wait until after the Michigan State game and pushed the procedure into the following week.

Hester says he is a devoted fan and could not risk something going wrong on the operating table that would prevent him from seeing the game. Hester suffers from cardiomyopathy where the heart muscle is weakened. He said he was willing to take the risk of delaying the surgery. Hester told reports, “It’s like going into combat. You may come home alive or you may come home dead. Whatever happens, I want to see the game.”

--Spartan Choice: Man Picks Game over Pacemaker, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/07/sportsline/main6935808.shtml; October 7, 2010, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Hebrews 12:1 (CEV) “Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us.”

A Central Florida conservation group, while incubating milk snake eggs, discovered one milk snake with two heads. It only has one body, but about 3 inches from the front end, the snake branches into two heads. Biologist Daniel parker said the snake has two brains, which command a single body. They will not release it into the wild because Parker said the snake would have a difficult time surviving.

--World, December 3, 2011, p. 18 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

With independent brains, the snake would have an argument with itself over every possible decision. If they disagreed and tried to go different ways while still going forward, the fork between the heads could become stuck on a branch. Trying to coordinate on the proper time to attack prey could be another difficulty causing an inability to catch dinner. If one of the heads did catch a bird or a frog, there could be a fight over which head would get to swallow dinner, although both throats lead to the same stomach. It would just be difficult to live with two minds in one body.

James agrees. A person with a double mind is unstable in every way. (See James 1:8) Without a clear direction, a double-minded person is never sure about the right decision to make regarding almost every issue. It is hard to live that way. Better to be as Paul describes and have one overriding goal, living for Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:12-14 (HCSB) (12) Not that I have already reached ?the goal? or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. (13) Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, (14) I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

New research suggests that the best way to reach a goal is make a specific plan and follow it, but for those striving for several goals at once, planning is not as effective. The study which appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research, compiled results from several experiments, which found that people with only one goal in mind found planning to be beneficial. When participants were given as many as six tasks to accomplish in a week, having a specific strategy to fulfill them all was less helpful in getting them accomplished.

Researchers think the reason planning becomes less effective is that people can be overwhelmed when they consider everything that goes into accomplishing several goals as well as the potential obstacles to completing every task. The research indicated participants were more likely to think they could accomplish several goals when they kept in mind that other people have more goals to complete than they do. Earlier research had also found that working on multiple projects at one time lead to lower quality of work, and more stress overall. That research participants wanted to pursue multiple tasks because it made them feel better. Even though people were more likely to multitask, it didn’t necessarily helpful in getting more done each day. In their summary, the researchers wrote, “The present findings suggest that when people form specific plans for multiple goals, the difficulty of execution becomes more salient, commitment falters, and people fail to follow through on their good intentions.”

--Planning Less Effective When You’re Juggling Multiple Goals; Study; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/19/planning-goals-effective-_n_1528081.html ; May 19, 2012, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Philippians 3:12-13 (GNB) I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself.
Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead.

Perhaps the most iconic scene in all the Star Wars movies is from the very first one at the end of the movie. Remember when Luke is traveling down the Death Star trench, with only one shot to take, he fires the torpedoes into the impossibly small hole in order to destroy the planet-destroying weapon. The ship before him had just missed using the advanced targeting system, and now Luke is trying to focus and use the system to succeed where the person before him failed. All the while, Darth Vader is right behind him, firing relentlessly. The stakes could not be higher!

And there is a problem. Luke is so distracted by the targeting system, by Darth Vader trying to shoot him down, and by the entire battle going on around him, that he can’t do it. The noise is too great. It appears he too will fail.

But then a voice of clarity comes into Luke’s head. Obi-Wan Canobi speaks to him telepathically and says those famous lines, “Use the force, Luke!” In that moment, Luke is able to put away the targeting system, trust his instincts, focus on the force, and as the Millennium Falcon swoops in and knocks Darth Vader off Luke’s tail, Luke uses the force, fires the torpedoes successfully into the Death Star’s weakness, and destroys the weapon; saving the galaxy. —Jim L. Wilson and David (DJ) Jenkins

The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Anton Williams did not stop playing his video game as a tornado approached his North Carolina home. It got close—I mean really close. Even when he noticed that the tornado ripped the roofs off his neighbor’s home and tore down power lines he kept playing Why? He was winning.

Eventually he finished the level and gathered up his nephew and sister to find shelter in their bathroom. While I question his priorities, I applaud his focus. —Jim L. Wilson

Commenting on Billy Graham’s influence, Pastor Rick Warren said, “I learned from Graham to never lose your single focus. His focus was always on bringing people to Christ. I remember when Graham received the Congressional Gold Medal in the rotunda of the US Capitol in 1996. There were about 400 chairs, packed with VIPs. President Clinton and leaders of the House and Senate addressed the crowd, honoring Graham’s life and achievements.

What do you think Graham did when it came time for him to get up to speak? He spent maybe three minutes acknowledging the honor and how little he deserved it. Then he said, ‘Let me tell you about Jesus.’ Even though the entire event was about him, he turned the meeting toward his lifetime central focus: Jesus.” —Jim L. Wilson

Marketing research from multiple sources says that smart phone users spend more than four hours a day on their phones. That adds up to 120 hours a month and 1440 hours a year.

Everywhere we look we see people in restaurants on their phones instead of conversation with each other. Walking down the street, even driving down the road, people are on their phones. The smart phone was supposed to simplify our lives and give us much more free time to relax and experience life.

Yet people feel busier than ever. Instead of simplifying our lives, it connects us everywhere and we have to battle for real time with each other and with God. —Jim L. Wilson and Doug Hixson

www.hackernoon.com May 9, 2017—How much time do people spend on their mobile phones in 2017?

A group of psychologists conducted a series of experiments on how people performed on tests that measured their cognition while their cell phones were in different locations. One group had them on the desk with them; the other had them in their pocket or bag, while the third group left them in another room.

One of the psychologists, Adrian Ward, of the University of Texas in Austin reported on the results in an interview with NPR. He said, “What we found is that people did better on these tasks the farther their phones were from them. So those who had their phones in another room did significantly better than those who had their phones on the desk right in front of them. And then those who had their phones in their pockets or their bags were sort of in the middle, between those two groups.”

I’m not picking on phones today—truth is anything that distracts us from the task at hand makes us lose focus. To avoid focus drain, we need to identify the distractions in our life and refocus our attention on things that matter the most. —Jim L. Wilson

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek writes, “We would prefer that that air traffic controller check his e-mail or send his text messages during his breaks. I think we would all feel much better if access to the Internet and a personal cell phone were completely forbidden when an air traffic controller is on duty . . . which they are. Only because our lives are at stake do we see this example as stark. So, if we take the life-and-death part away, why would we think that we can do our work, check our phones, write a paragraph, send a text, write another paragraph, send another text, without the same damage to our ability to concentrate?”

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.