So a lot of times I hear people talk about FOCUS. They’ll normally say FOCUS is key to anything or everything. Even if that is true, do you know you can be focused on more than one thing and do them all amazingly? Yes, you absolutely can because I am about to share with you how I’ve mastered so many things. We live in a fast-moving world with constant change and development in many aspects of life such as education, communication, transportation, health, security, and more.
Focus. It’s a big deal.
Mastering different skills comes down to focus. You have to pick one skill, master it, or take both hand in hand and progress evenly, that is if you can. This is something I’ve just come to realize lately but it’s something I’ve been blindly doing for some time now. Trust me, I am the best guy you want to listen to on this. Deep work requires literally rewiring our brain. Which … is hard. We know that this is going to be a challenge.
Let’s dive right in…
My name is Nastin and I literally began developing skills, many of which have turned into my dreams and things that I hope to achieve at age 12, first grade in High School. The first of many was Volleyball. That’s how early I started out, but I mostly only played Volleyball in school. Back at home, it was either Table Tennis or Badminton. My father played Table Tennis so we had every equipment at home, it was what I and my brother did during our leisure. On the other hand my mum played Badminton, so it was like kind of a mixture. But volleyball was ahead of all. I was quite good at all of them.
The desire to play volleyball was gradually becoming unsurpassable and soon enough, that was all I thought about. I had problems in school being absent due to training and games, I also had problems at home with my parents because I always came home late after practice, but I didn’t stop. I was getting good reviews from everybody that watched me except my parents who never watched me. But I pressed on and in the end, I attended college on a scholarship playing volleyball, and I’ve so far had a brilliant amateur career, hoping to transition to a pro soon.
I am that good huh? But there’s something else I am very good at… And it happened along the way. Shortly after High School, I didn’t get straight into college, I was out for a couple of years. During this time, I didn’t play much volleyball, but in the absence of volleyball, I learned a priced skill that would be my alternate career choice if I can’t make it into pro volleyball, (I hope this is not the case) a skill that I can practice even in a pandemic. I know you’re guessing now, save that, IT’S INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. Yes, I said that because I basically do everything. HTML, CSS, PHP, WordPress, Wix, Shopify, Python etc.
While growing up, I didn’t love computers much. I wasn’t an inside guy, I preferred to be always outside. My little brother was the computer guru at that time. He knew a lot I was amazed. But after High School, all that changed. I started by learning programming from scratch, to gradually stepping up my game and actually taking up BS in Information Technology when I was able to get to college. I studied at the Philippines Christian University, in the Philippines, and up till the fourth year when we had to make a thesis and defend, nobody knew how good a programmer I was. My teachers were all surprised, everybody knew the ace volleyball player but not the programmer.
Focus is the ability to set one’s mind and attention on a particular course until it yields the desired results. It involves channeling all your energy and concentration into a specific task, either long-term or short-term, and remaining in that state till the task is accomplished. The question now is: can we still integrate the deep values of focus, discipline, and willpower with the changes that advancement in technology brings to our society?
A lot of people know the volleyball side of me, but not a lot knew what I was doing when I am not on the court. I was learning on my own. Four years in college I didn’t learn a thing except that I could handle my chores. I could even teach some of my IT teachers programmings. But this sums up what I am trying to say. You can develop many valuable skills at the same time. Now in a pandemic where we are unable to play, I got a job as an IT specialist and I am learning a lot more now. What if I had focused only on Volleyball? You may answer that.
Success is limitless when Focus is the driver. Never take your mind off your dreams! Never allow setbacks to derail you! Spend your time wisely, don’t waste it on superfluities. Plan your day well, set realistic goals, and keep to them. Again I say, “Success is limitless when Focus is the driver.”
