At a baseball game recently, I saw a 10 year old boy with his glove, staring intently at batter after batter, waiting on the foul ball that he just knew would be coming his way. He wasn't distracted by the noise around him, or the people stepping over him to get concessions.

He wasn't tempted by the gift shop, or the kids club house. I'm sure it wasn't that he didn't find those things interesting. More than likely he did. But what he really wanted was on that field, and if he left his seat, he could have missed his chance.

Have you left your seat? Are you are missing what you came to the 'game' for? Are you missing what's really important to you by being distracted? Try a little FOCUS.

Forget the noise of the world. Successful people make a conscious decision to tune out the things that distract them. Like the boy, you'll know it's there, you'll know it's available, but you'll decide to stay in your seat to get what you really want instead.

Organize your mind to distinguish between what's important and what's urgent. Urgent things are loud and may vie for your attention (like the concessions, or the kids club to the little boy above). Important, however, is what you really want in spite of those other things. A trip to the gift shop may be appealing now, but if it takes away from your real goal, it will only disappoint in the long run.

Commit to a plan. A continuous change of focus is a recipe for ending up with nothing. If you start out baking a cake, then switch to grilled chicken, then move over to pasta, you'll get to the dinner party with a half cooked meal that nobody will enjoy. If your life is bouncing from one thing to another, you'll become a master of none. As the little boy knew, he had to commit to staying in that seat to increase his chances of getting something he knew he wanted.

Understand that there will be sacrifices to make. You will need to say No to some things in order to have wheat you ultimately want. Like the little boy above, he told his friends "no" when they went to get food, or wander around. I may not be No forever, but it may have to be No right now. Tell the world NO if it doesn't fit with your priorities.

Stand up for what you want. Stick to your guns. Everybody won't understand, and everybody probably won't even approve. Friends may want you to go with them on what is most important to them (the gift shop, or the kids play area), but if it's not what's most important to you, you'll miss your chance at what is. Stick to what you know is right for you.

Success is not an accident. Just like the little boy, your success at a goal depends on you being in your chair when that ball comes your way. If you're not there, if you're not ready with your glove and paying attention, you can't possibly reap the rewards. Focus on what you really want, and be willing to stay in your chair to get it. ___________

Professional Life Coach Kathy helps people who are burned out, stressed out, and fed up to Stay In Their Chair and get back in touch with the foundations of their life. www.reallifecoach.com.