Where is Mr. Miyagi when we need him? The Japanese-American actor Pat Morita played the fictional character Mr. Miyagi in one of my favorite movie franchises - The Karate Kid. In the movies, Mr. Miyagi was responsible for training a young man named Daniel LaRusso (played by the actor Ralph Macchio) to become a competitive martial artist. You may recall the “unconventional” training methods that Mr. Miyagi used to teach Daniel karate, for instance waxing cars, sanding floors and painting fences. I have watched the original movie from 1984 (and its sequels) so many times over the years and each time I am struck by the wisdom and messages filled within. There was a method to Miyagi's madness and it wasn't to get his household chores done by Daniel. As a matter of fact, there are so many life-lessons and words of wisdom from the extremely wise and wonderful Mr. Miyagi that they have come to be known as “Miyagisms”. One of the brilliant pieces of advice given to the Karate Kid was Mr. Miyagi repeatedly telling Daniel “you need to focus Daniel-San. Always look (in the) eye.” When he got frustrated with Daniel, he told him “Daniel-san, your focus needs more focus.” The reason that Mr. Miyagi did not want Daniel to lose eye contact is because he knew that the minute that Daniel looked away, he would get distracted, lose his focus and not be able to see his opponent coming. He taught him the importance of living a balanced life and not letting distractions prevent him from reaching his goals.
This week there is a viral video that has been viewed millions of times. You may have seen it...the adorable dog playing a shell game of four-cup monte. It is a marvelous video...not just because the puppy is so cute, but mostly because of how focused he remains throughout the game. Yes, he is motivated by the treat that is hidden under the moving cup, but you will see that he stays uber-focused and does not take his eyes off his prize.
This video is another example of what Mr. Miyagi was trying to teach Daniel when he stressed the importance of maintaining eye contact and focus.
Are you easily distracted? Do you find yourself going from one project to the next without finishing anything? Have you even been thrown off track by taking a phone call that lasts longer than expected or a brief mid-day peek at FaceBook that turns into a 60 minute session? We need to keep our eyes on the prize like the puppy watching the dog treat. If we concentrate and stay focused, there is no end to the things that we can accomplish. With Spring Cleaning chores looming and fitness goals on our minds that are motivated by fitting into our summer wardrobes, now is the perfect time for our focus to have more focus. Whatever it is that you want to get done, getting organized and managing your time will help you to achieve your goals.
I will leave you with another Miyagism to motivate you to stay focused...”man who catch fly with chopsticks (can) accomplish anything!”