focus | Peter Fletcher

Every morning, the tap in my shower gives me a choice. Push it to the left and enjoy a hot shower, push it to the right and endure the sting of cold.

It’s a choice that reminds me of the power of removing options. Options cloud our judgement and turn yes or no into maybe. In business and in life, making swift, meaningful decisions create purpose and direction. Yes or no? On or off? In or out?

By choosing to have cold showers I’ve removed the options. There’s no question about which direction to push the lever. There’s no wondering about how much hot water to add. There’s just cold, only cold, no questions.

My shower tap also teaches me that the choice is mine. I can choose the warmth and comfort of the easy road that always gets bumpy or I can choose the hard road that ends up smooth and scenic. That moment of choice defines who I’ll be for the rest of the day.

My shower tap also teaches me to lean into the pain. The secret to enjoying a cold shower is to be fully present to the sharp slap of cold water. By focussing on the the icy sensation the pain goes away. Soon the cold turns into something that’s indistinguishable from warmth.

That experience helps me to lean into the pain during the day. Sometimes business can be painful. Things don’t go to plan and relationships can become strained. But leaning into the pain helps me to remain engaged during uncomfortable moments and to keep my focus when I’d like to retreat to a more comfortable place.

And those are the reasons why I appreciate the tap in my shower.

If a funeral home can write a blog it should be a snap for a real estate agent. It seems, though, it’s not.

Even with their “local knowledge” agents still find it hard to put pen to paper.

Why?

Quite simply they try to say too much.

Do I write about the market? About interest rates? About property prices? How about rental values, rental returns or rental inspections? There are just too many options.

The trick is to narrow the options and tighten the focus.

That’s the appeal of the ‘365 Things to do in [insert suburb name]‘ blogs. They give the writer focus, something to lock onto, the freedom to discard material. Without distractions, writing is easy.

One of my clients is writing a Did You Know? series. Did you know there are 127 houses in Smith Street? 36 have No Junk Mail stickers on the letterbox. Did kou know that the most common front fence colour in Jones Street is beige? Add a picture or two, bang, you’re done! Blog post written.

At first, the idea sounds whacky. But it’s not.

It provides a fresh, new perspective on a suburb. It tells a story that only a local can tell.

It’s brilliant!

The market commentary blog is dying. It’s dying from terminal boredom.

Boring blogs have no local nuance. They say little that’s fresh and new.

Already there’s a funeral home writing their epitaph.

Photo credit: mlinksva on Flickr

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