Focus and the future: America’s Public Transit Dilemma

After spending a couple of years in Europe, I realized just how limited the public transit network is in the US. Some cities are better than others, but overall we are pretty behind. This is especially true in regards to interstate travel. In recent years, as energy costs have continued to rise, this issue has been pushed to the forefront of American political and environmental debates. So what happened? Why did America spend its time, money and energy building cars and roads while other nations focused on rail, bus and subways? The answer is simply really, it was a matter of choice.

In the post WWII era, America’s focus was clearly based on the belief that cars were the future of transportation. And they (cars) did become the future of transportation, because that's where the focus went. Get it? America believed cars were the answer, so accordingly, we built factories that built cars, started business to repair the cars, and built more roads etc. Our reality is a literal result of our focus, our energy and our actions. Other nations took a different approach. At varying levels, they chose to focus on building railroads, buses, and subway stations.

So here we are today, and after years of focusing on the car, America is struggling to catch up with other transportation infrastructures. Were we wrong to assume cars were the future? That’s a hard question, because we can’t know how everything would have played out, and I don’t think we need to know. But I believe there is an important business and life lesson here: The things we focus on today will become our reality. Accordingly, it is vital that we ask ourselves the following questions:

“Are there things I am focusing on today, that I will regret in the future?” and “What am I failing to focus on now that I will need in the future?”

Those are tough questions, because we can’t see the future, and in order to move forward, we have to make decisions, set goals, and work hard to achieve them--but there is always value in taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

A thought on Confidence and Control

How often during the course of a day do we give others control of our lives? The key word in the previous sentence is GIVE. Our lives are literally made of millions of decisions and we are making them constantly. The decisions we make will ultimately affect our perception of things and in turn that perception will become our reality.

For example, imagine you go to a party with a camera. As you walk in, you look to your left and see a room full of people dancing, drinking, and breaking a lamp or two. You take a picture of the party-animals and show it to a friend later. What will be their perception of the party? The answer is obvious. That party was crazy! Now go back to the same party. In another room you see a couple making out in the corner. You take a picture, and now your friend thinks the party was steamy. One more picture, this time of the room where you see a couple of guys just lounging around listening to some Pink Floyd. Now your friend is thinking that party was pretty laid back or even boring (maybe your friend isn’t a Floyd fan, but then you gotta ask yourself why he is your friend--another topic for another time)

The point? We choose what we focus on. And in turn, we are personally responsible for shaping our reality.

Now a more practical application: You go out to present to a potential client and walk away empty handed. Before you move on to your next presentation you have a choice to make. What kind of effect will I allow this experience to have on me? When I go to my next appointment will I GIVE the last client control over how I feel? How I act? How I present? How I close? If you do, you might as well not even go to the next appointment because you are wasting the client’s time, and yours.