Focus--Yandel

Many of us have been told by someone that we have to focus on our goals, but sometimes

they don’t know the struggles we go through. For some people it may be school, sports, or even

relationships that cost attention and money. Whenever I start to do something from scratch, I

tend to plan the process in a manner that will result in the greatest outcome. To me, this is what I

mean by focusing, or what younger people refer to nowadays as “locking-in”. According to

Merriam-Webster's dictionary, focus is defined as “a center of activity, attraction, or attention”

followed up by the secondary definition of “a point of concentration”. In reality, there are several

connotations of the term as it can relate to different scenarios. The most inferred definitions by

most people of the term focus are to relate to a purpose or goal, attention and concentration, and

emphasis or priority.

Firstly, the purpose or goal in focus, can be seen as something that you want to achieve or

improve in a particular time frame. For me, I need to focus on improving my fitness before the

start of Etiwanda’s high school soccer season. Moreover, attention and concentration is pretty

simple to understand, but in short means to give your full and undivided attention to a certain

task. Funny enough, most of us have heard this phrase before from our teachers, but it’s

important because teachers want us students to give full effort and priority to what we’re

assigned to do. On my occasion, I give my full attention to the drills my soccer coach is showing

us (especially if I’m first in line) because messing up must be one of the hardest feelings to

experience, and not to mention the frustration my teammates and coach will have towards me.

This connection may be different for non-athletes, but the idea and feeling is similar. Lastly, the

importance of emphasis or priority is crucial in our everyday lives as it relates to a particular

aspect or element. I like to compare this to the term “meaning” or “purpose” because it implies

the central concept of a discussion or project. One instance like this is when I missed a class or a

school day last year, I would ask a friend or classmate what the focus was on, in relation to the

lesson or test. The definition of focus mainly depends on the context in which it is used. Famous

people like Steve Jobs have given their opinion on the term’s meaning, by sharing a quote that

states “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not

what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are.” In other

words, centering on one thing is more valuable than worrying about other things. Additionally, a

movie was filmed in 2015 titled “Focus”, which starred Will Smith and Margot Robbie. Its brief

overview was that Nicky (the main character; Will Smith) and Jess (the supporting character;

Margot Robbie) were partners in the trade field, but found themselves romantically involved.

Nicky made the decision of splitting up because he needed to focus on his job and find his

purpose.

Overall, my understanding of focus leads to the main idea of trying your hardest in times

of essence. There are countless times throughout each person’s day where you have to focus on

something, whether it may be problem solving, work and productivity, or even hobbies and

technology. I know from experience that playing video games is one of the most important times

where one needs to focus as winning that game or going to the next level is in everyone’s best

interest. About 2 years ago, my soccer team, which included me, made it to the national playoffs

for one of the top leagues of youth soccer in the United States. In times like these, I knew I had

to lock in and focus as many scouts were attending my games. As my first game was about to

start, my dad who was sitting in the bleachers of the stadium with a tracksuit (due to being chilly

on the eastern side) pointed both of his pointer fingers towards his head, symbolizing the idea of

focusing and doing my absolute best. Alongside my dad, there were my teammates who

supported one another for an opportunity of a lifetime. And maybe just sometimes, will you

decide to put the phone down and focus on yourself, not worrying about the world or events

happening around you.

1. Focus definition - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/focus

2. Steve Jobs quote -

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/629613-people-think-focus-means-saying-yes-to-thething-

you-ve