I wouldn’t call myself a bird person, but I am a big fan of hawks. Hawks are amazing, totally majestic birds.
What I really love about hawks? They sit high above perched on a branch, watching below. Canvasing the ground looking for their next prey. Hawks see with eight times the clarity and sharpness of the human eye.
I’m sure you have heard of all of the sayings…“eyes like a hawk” or “watch them like a hawk.”
Hawks monitor everything—and then dial in their focus.
I was watching a hawk just the other day. It was floating high in the sky, taking in the 10,000-foot view, looking totally relaxed and utterly in command of itself. I watched as it circled the air above me, so effortlessly it almost looked like a slow-motion special effect.
Then—in a split second—it DOVE. Hawks are incredibly fast and powerful, capable of flying at speeds of 150 miles per hour.
All that power and speed was activated in the service of ONE goal: to catch its prey and eat it.
Imagine for a moment that the hawk, instead of floating high above, waiting for just the right moment to catch its single, carefully chosen target—imagine that hawk was going after 10 different prey at once.
Would the hawk be able to train its eye on its goal, and put all its power and energy toward capturing it? Nope. That hawk’s catch rate would plummet. That hawk would go hungry.
Would the hawk be as good doing what it does best—staying focused, pursuing its prey with vigilance and commitment until it succeeded? Nope. That hawk would fly in circles, so distracted by each new possible target it wouldn’t stick with any of them. That hawk would be dizzy.
Now imagine for a second you’re the hawk. The hawk of your business. But substitute “cash-strapped” for “hungry” and “overwhelmed” for “dizzy.”
Not a pretty picture is it?
Unfortunately, this may be your day to day reality. You are so hungry to make money that you try different marketing ideas hoping to make enough money to pay the bills.
But your patience wears thin until you are off to the next idea, never focusing on any one idea for long. You’re left overwhelmed, frustrated…and hungry.
I don’t want to state the obvious…but if you were a hawk, you would have starved to death.
And if you were the leader of the hawks…you would be extinct!
I have found focusing on too many things at once is the quickest way to go broke.
I have learned that when I slow down (and glide in the air like the majestic hawk), I begin to see the biggest problems with a higher level of clarity. I’m able to narrow my focus and energy on the MOST important thing.
Then swoosh!
I DIVE at 150mph with all of my energy and focus on completing that project.
Ignoring distractions.
Ignoring bright and shiny objects.
Ignoring “what if” scenarios.
What is YOUR most important area that needs to be fixed in your practice? What is that juicy prey that would satisfy your hunger…and get you tons of new patients and back into profitability?
Focus on ONE thing that will help solve the biggest problem.
Focus your energy, resources and time on completing it.
Be a hawk.
We’re here to help!
By Jamey Schrier
PT, Founder & CEO, Practice Freedom U
July 9, 2020
5 minute read
