“The devil resists serious, focused prayer because he's defeated by it. And so the devil will try to attack our concentration in prayer; he will try to confuse or contradict the content of our prayers; he will do his best to distract and/or divert us in prayer so that we're crippled by inconsistency.” TryingPrayerSeriousDevilFocusedConcentrationDefeatedOur PrayersInconsistency Author:Anne Graham Lotz
“The most difficult thing for me is keeping yourself focused on what you're doing. As you go play, you try to get your focus and desire. You don't do it to the level you would do it if you wanted to win. You have to work at it and be on top of your game.” TryingDesireWinningDifficultFocusFocused Author:Jack Nicklaus
“I certainly self-police my language depending on who I'm talking to. I try to be very careful about using filler words, about not drawling certain vowels, even when I can't say "drawl" without drawling. That's kind of sad, because self-policing inhibits communication. You're more focused on the words coming out of your mouth or that should not be coming out of your mouth than making a connection with the person you're speaking to.” TryingKindLanguageCommunicationCarefulFocused Author:Kory Stamper
“Fixating on the outcome or needing to know all the details of an upcoming event, such as a trip, causes people to be upset when things don't go their way, overly focused on the future, and unable to bounce back easily. Inflexible people are susceptible to anger, distress, and depression. Surrendered people go with the flow, shrug it off when an unplanned situation happens, and tend to be happier, more lighthearted, and resilient.” PeopleSituationFocusedUpsetResilient Author:Judith Orloff
“We try to approach everything in Life After Hate and Exit USA with compassion. While we really promote approaching things with compassion and empathy, because that's what changed us, it's very difficult knowing there are very virulent, vile people who are focused on furthering the Donald Trump cause. Right now we're dealing with a lot of fake news, misinformation, propaganda, parody. My goal is still trying to reach people through compassionate means, and to get them access to real information. My goal is to share my story and get people out of their bubble, so they can empathize.” PeopleTryingMeanRealHateDifficultGoalCompassionShareChangedEmpathyFocusedPropagandaFakeCompassionateBubblesMisinformation Author:Christian Picciolini
“I'm not focused on being perfect. I like trial and error. You learn through uncomfortable experiences. And now I know what doesn't work for me, and I know what does.” PerfectFocusedUncomfortable Author:Janelle Monae
“The challenge CEOs will face three to five years from now is the same one that they face today. That is engagement. It's hard to keep people engaged in what they are doing. As this generation grows up around social media like Twitter where things are 140 characters, how do you keep them engaged all hours every day at work? How do you keep them focused on the big goals you have?” PeopleCharacterTodayGoalHoursChallengesGrowing UpSocial MediaFocusedCeo140 Character Author:Don Yaeger
“Curiosity is a key building block. The more curious you are, the more creativity you will unleash. A great way to do that is to ask the three "magic questions" again and again... those questions are simply, "Why", "What if?", and "Why not?". Asking these questions constantly focused you on the possibilities and away from how things are at the moment.” MomentsCreativityMagicPossibilityBuildingCuriosityFocusedBlockCuriousWhat If Author:Josh Linkner
“If organizations are focused on a purpose, something that will make the world a better place and leave a big impact, people can rally behind that mission. If a company is only about making money, it's hard to unleash passion. If there's a big WHY that the company is working to solve, passion will flow like the amazon.” PeopleWorldPurposePassionFocusedMaking Money Author:Josh Linkner
“As liberals are puppets in Donald Trump's show right now, all he needs to do is create any distraction and all of a sudden, the whole country is completely distracted, including the American left. We need to be laser focused on figuring out what are our values, what do we really want to be defending on the left, and how are we going to do that, coming up with the plan and moving forward.” CountryMovingValuesFocusedMoving ForwardDistractionDistracted Author:Sam Rasoul
“Falling into Donald Trump's trap, or being distracted every time he sends out a tweet is really not leadership. And, I would point you to a historical example, Italy's Donald Trump, Silvio Berlusconi, a larger-than-life personality. People didn't know what to do until somebody came up with a novel idea: Why don't we ignore him? They completely ignored the personality, the man, and focused on the issues. He was defeated twice. Maybe we can learn from that lesson.” PeopleMenFallNovelHe ManPersonalityHistoricalFocusedDefeatedIgnoredDistractedTweet Author:Sam Rasoul
“I wanted to start something in New York that focused on making products locally, and because I'd just had my second child didn't want to be traveling halfway across the world anymore. The idea was to have something wearable that fit with my reality, which was being a mom with two young kids and not always wanting to wear jeans. I still wanted to wear interesting clothes, and the options out there I found were either very expensive or very cheap. There was a big gap in the middle.” WorldChildrenRealityKidsInterestingMomFitFocusedHalfwayBeing A Mom Author:Maria Cornejo
“The hero of the beloved Star Wars trilogy is Luke. The principle dynamic is the complicated relationship between Luke and his father. Not coincidentally, George Lucas' last name sounds a lot like Luke. That's the one he identified with. George Lucas had a tumultuous relationship with his own father, and people who know him say that you can't understand the backstory of the movies without knowing that his dad was occasionally difficult but also very loving. They had a big break between them. In those movies, he's very focused on sons and fathers.” PeopleWarFatherDifficultBreakSonHeroDadComplicatedFocusedBelovedFather And Son Author:Cass Sunstein
“I talked to George Lucas once, not about Star Wars. Everyone wants to talk to him about Star Wars, and I didn't want to be one of those people. In person - at least on this occasion - he wasn't effervescent and giddy, as the Star Wars movies are. He's more focused.” PeopleWarFocusedGiddy Author:Cass Sunstein
“When your mind is focused and made up you don't make excuses. You try. If you fail you try again.” TryingMindFailingExcuseFocusedTry Again Author:Louis Farrakhan
“Google and Facebook extend internet access across the world, but the access is generally speaking to an internet that is focused on the advertisers to those sites.” WorldInternetFocusedGoogle Author:Ramesh Srinivasan
“Russian politics was focused for too long on fixing past mistakes - fixing the mistakes made in the 1990s.” LongPastMistakeFocused Author:Sergey Karaganov
“The Democrats are going to tax everybody through the roof. It is going to be focused on people that are wealthy because that's who they can tax. When you look at the stimulus plan - see, this doesn't make any sense, this is not working, it's not going to work, it's not intended to work the way we all were told it was gonna work. Health care is not going to get better. It's gonna get worse. It's gonna get rationed. The economy, the energy sector, nothing is being improved here. Everything's being wrecked.” PeopleCareEnergyEconomyTaxesDemocratFocusedHealth CareGet BetterWealthyRoofGoing To Work Author:Rush Limbaugh
“I think, all in all, the Obama administration and what President Obama has focused on has lived up to our need to protect American interests, to live our values and assert our values, and to stand up for future generations.” ThinkingValuesPresidentInterestProtectFocusedPresident ObamaFuture Generation Author:John F. Kerry
“It's actually really stereotypical that someone should be 40 and mellow out, but I think it's more about trying to conjure up a different intensity in my head, one where I'm more focused as a singer and hands-on with music and more exacting, and less trying to furiously fit a thousands thoughts into a four minute song.” ThinkingTryingDifferentSongFitFocusedMellow Author:Dan Bejar
“I wish to be focused on kind of the business stuff I'm doing, how do I contribute to our economic progress, how do I help create a future for American industry, American middle class, these kind of things. Those things actually really matter to me.” KindHelpingWishProgressEconomicFocusedMiddle Class Author:Reid Hoffman
“As the photographer, it's challenging to make images that read quickly and are powerful, but have enough humanity and compassion. I've worked on these issues in the developing world because that's where the risk to girl's safety and access to education is the highest. But that doesn't mean that we don't have issues in the U.S. or western countries. For me, I focused on the developing world because it felt like the issue was more urgent there.” WorldMeanCountryEnoughHumanityChallengesPowerfulCompassionRiskSafetyWesternPhotographerFocused Author:Stephanie Sinclair
“Now, you'll hear people call here on my show claiming they used to be lib and they've changed their minds. That happens, but it happens naturally. It's not because I've focused on trying to persuade people. I think while it's a noble objective to try to help people to see things the right way, this is a different psychological collection of human beings, and they are walled off from anything that's not them.” PeopleThinkingTryingMindDifferentHelpingChangedFocusedPsychological Author:Rush Limbaugh
“I think this my last album - No Place For My Dream - truly is my best work. My fear now is, I don't know if I can do better than this in my lifetime, because technically, sound quality, composition, the melody is really high standard, it's very scary; the way it was recorded, the way I was focused. I think it is top of the music scene.” ThinkingDreamQualitySceneLifetimeScaryFocusedMelodyComposition Author:Femi Kuti
“That's because of everything the public interest and the media interest is focused on: What did Donald Trump know and when did he know it? Whether there was cooperation with the Russians. I don't mean to say that's a distraction or we shouldn't follow it up. But the underlying story of the Russians trying to subvert our democracy, both through propaganda, planted stories, manipulation of social media and through direct efforts to infiltrate our state election system, is really an enormously significant event. And it's not over.” TryingMeanInterestEffortDemocracyDirectElectionSocial MediaFocusedSignificantPropagandaManipulationCooperationDistraction Author:Angus King
“Usually when I'm painting something it takes a lot of focus. I have the room I go into called the white room. In my imagination when I'm really focused I go into that white room and all that's there is me, my painting, and my tools. There's no distraction. When I'm really concentrated I like to have it silent but when I'm doing something that doesn't have to be necessarily perfect, I can just go for it.” ImaginationPerfectFocusPaintingSilentFocusedDistractionMy Imagination Author:Autumn de Forest
“We should always be learning or we will cease to be able to change or adapt. I think the best work on leadership today is by Ronald Heifetz. His work is focused on adaptive leadership.” ThinkingTodayFocused Author:Chip Espinoza
“India is a country of 1.25 billion people. We can't run our country if we get worried about every small thing. At the same time, we can't close our eyes to problems. That's why India maintains that we are now in a different era. We are not living in the eighteenth century. China is also a country with an ancient cultural heritage. Look at how it has focused on economic development. It's hardly the sign of a country that wants to be isolated. It wants to stay connected.” PeopleDifferentCountryProblemEyeRunningEconomicAncientFocusedWorriedSmall ThingsEconomic Development Author:Narendra Modi
“I didn't wake up one day and say, I have to tell O.J.'s Simpson story. But what drew me to it wasn't what people have focused on over the last 20 years - meaning, the question of innocence or guilt, nor the spectacle of the trial. I was more interested in the history that led up to that point in time in 1994, which would help explain what exactly went into making the trial as fascinating as it was.” PeopleHelpingOne DayWake UpGuiltFocusedInnocence Author:Ezra Edelman
“I spent so much time focusing on haters that I forgot about the people that actually love me. And that's who I'm focused on this time around: the people that want to listen. The people that don't want to listen, don't listen. This is for the people that want to.” PeopleFocused Author:Belly
“Everything has become very corporate and very careful. Before we had a real democracy going and there were a lot of freedoms and now there's this terrorism thing that everybody's focused on, which is really a boondoggle in my opinion. It's just an excuse to clamp down on people's free speech. And corporations intimidate people and everybody's gotten intimidated and that's really what it is, and they just keep going along. It's almost like - a little bit like that Charlie Chaplin movie, Modern Times, or 1984, Orwell” PeopleRealOpinionDemocracyModernCarefulExcuseTerrorismFocusedKeep GoingFree SpeechIntimidatingIntimidated Author:Don McLean
“We're very focused in on outcomes for government with respect to the amount of tax that goes in and the amount of expenditures that go out.” TaxesFocused Author:Steve Ballmer
“That's one thing you learn as a quarterback: focus. The better you are at focusing and the more you can continue to stay focused for a four-hour stage and really be zeroed in on what is happening, the better you play, the longer you play.” FocusFocusedStay FocusedQuarterback Author:Carson Palmer
“The longer you play, the more you realize that you can't lose focus for one play or two plays or an entire drive. Those things are the difference between wins and losses. You have to figure out how to refocus after a bad play or how to stay focused when you're up in a game. Those are things you learn from experience in playing this position. I've learned a ton of ways and have different triggers for how to regain my focus if I've lost it.” DifferentWinningRealizingLossFocusFocusedStay FocusedLearning Experience Author:Carson Palmer
“I've always kind of thought that reviews written by readers for readers are a kind of private space between consumers. It's their right to say anything they like about your material, and authors need to know that and respect that. As for my end, I'm aware of what my sales are, so I know that my books are working in the marketplace, at least for now, and beyond that, I have to just do my thing and stay focused.” KindBookFocusedSay AnythingStay Focused Author:J.R. Ward
“True divine guidance asks you to focus on service. False guidance is more ego-oriented, more about what's in it for you - for example, more focused on making money for its own sake. True guidance may help you make money, but it won't focus on that.” HelpingFocusDivineFocusedMaking MoneyGuidance Author:Doreen Virtue
“When I was a young lawyer, there were other women and men in the firm who took me under their wing. Sometimes mentors don't find you - sometimes you seek them out. You shouldn't hesitate to plop herself in someone's office and ask them to be that support.... Oftentimes, they're flattered and glad to lend a hand. So I would encourage any reader to seek out a mentor, then follow through and be very focused and persistent.” MenSometimesSupportOfficeMen And WomenFocusedLawyerGladFirmMentorPersistentFlatteredFollow Through Author:Michelle Obama
“And if I'm ahead, I can sometimes tell. It might mean I'm having a good swim, but pretty much, I'm just focused on how fast I'm going, how fast I'm feeling, and pretty much block everything out, the sounds, the sights, just kind of listen to the rhythm of the water, and just maintaining the same stroke, the same rhythm, the same tempo, and thinking about how I want to get my hand to the wall.” ThinkingKindMeanSometimesFeelingsWaterWallFocusedBlockRhythmSwim Author:Katie Ledecky
“When you are on a major record label, you're just forced to think big. You are forced to think about things like "how many radio spins did we get this week?" or "how many albums did we sell across the country. Being independent, you are just focused on the city that you are playing in tonight. How many people can I meet and become friends with tonight. That's one of the great things about being an independent artist.” PeopleThinkingCountryArtistWeekIndependentFocusedGreat ThingsThink Big Author:Graham Colton
“Angela Merkel has been focused on the right things. She has focused on the interests of her citizens - and not just in a narrow, short-term way, but in a very thoughtful - Let's make the world a better place for future generations as well - kind of way. Whether it's about climate or migration, she's not afraid to look at the longer-term trendlines and say, OK, we need position ourselves here, even if it doesn't seem obvious - this is the direction we need to go in. People respect that in Merkel, that a politician has a vision for the long term.” PeopleWorldKindLongTermInterestVisionPoliticianObviousFocusedLong TermRight ThingThoughtfulNot AfraidFuture Generation Author:Justin Trudeau
“If the right opportunity came along, maybe, but I'm more focused on trying to create a TV show where I can be myself, rather than playing a wacky neighbor. Although, I would gladly play a wacky neighbor of any sort.” TryingOpportunityFocusedNeighborWacky Author:Christian Finnegan
“The thing about being a parent it puts priorities in order. Thank God, you're not totally focused on yourself anymore. You get to put your energy out, as opposed to worrying all the time about your own stuff. It's such a relief, but when you think about it, it's like an extension of you. It's like a safer way; you feel less indulgent about it, but they are extensions of yourself, and I think you're freer to love them so unconditionally. That, we're not able to do with our own selves.” ThinkingEnergyParentWorryFocusedPrioritiesThank GodBeing A Parent Author:Gretchen Mol
“I want to just stay focused on my mission. That is to see every girl get the right to education. And I think this is such an important thing that girls get their right to go to school, and we are losing the potential that these young girls have in this region, like Iraq.” ThinkingImportantSchoolGirlLosingFocusedStay FocusedThat GirlEvery Girl Author:Malala Yousafzai
“Just don't let anything get in the way of what you want to achieve. A lot of people get knocked back by friends, or family, or peer pressure. If you have a talent and want to do something with it, it's down to you. If it's what you really want then go after it and be very selfish... You have to remain committed, you have to stay focused and you have to be selfish.” PeopleAchieveTalentCommittedFocusedSelfishStay FocusedPeer PressureBeing Selfish Author:George Sampson
“I like terrifying. Modeling's terrifying to a lot of people too. Standing in front of a camera is terrifying. I like a challenge. Sailing really forces you to be present and in the moment. You kind of forget about the bullshit of life. Your thoughts go away because you're focused on making sure everything's working. I like being in that place.” PeopleKindMomentsChallengesForgetFocusedGoing AwayBullshitSailing Author:Daria Werbowy
“Recently, there has been a profound change in how we think about corporate leadership. The 1990s was the era of celebrity leaders: we focused on Jack Welch, and not GE, on Bill Gates, and not Microsoft, on Steve Jobs, and not Apple, on Larry Ellison and not Oracle. But, on reflection, the records of most high-profile leaders have not withstood closer scrutiny. In almost all cases, it turns out that the success of organizations is due to the collective efforts of many, and not to the genius of a single, all-powerful individual at the top.” ThinkingIndividualEffortLeaderGeniusReflectionProfoundFocusedGates Author:James O'Toole
“I think we're coming into a time where it has to do with how you stand in relationship to your own world within and in relationship to those around you in the world without. And I believe these are the things that we need to put into our schools, education, into our psychotherapy and into our culture more, finding a way to not be so harsh and judgmental, so objectifying and dehumanizing, constantly focused within and trying to get these difficult thoughts and feelings to go away.” ThinkingWorldTryingBelieveFeelingsSchoolCultureI BelieveDifficultFocusedGoing AwayHarshJudgmentalPsychotherapy Author:Steven C. Hayes
“Holding anxiety as your own enemy, and that it has to go down, diminish it, go away and not happen here is a kind of self-invalidating, interiorly focused process that would get you even more entangled with these processes. Instead, what we're going to need to learn to do is to allow your history to bring into the present thoughts and feelings and memories, and to sort of hold them mindfully and self-compassionately, and then focus on what you do and bring them along for that journey.” KindFeelingsMemoriesEnemyFocusJourneyAnxietyFocusedGoing Away Author:Steven C. Hayes
“Could we take anxiety to be something that may be of importance, may even be meaningful? And it says something about your history, and could we learn to sort of hold it in a way that's more compassionate, to sort of bring the frightened part of you close and treat it with some dignity, and keep focused instead on what kind of life you want to live connected to what kind of meaning and purpose. That's going to be a quicker, more self-compassionate and more certain journey forward inside things like panic disorder.” KindPurposeJourneyAnxietyDignityImportanceFocusedMeaningfulCompassionate Author:Steven C. Hayes
“I have a sense of mission on this climate crisis, and I'm trying to pour all the energy I have into it. And I hope that I, along with others, can catalyze the emergence of real solutions to the climate crisis. I think we're making a lot of progress. I think we're going to win this, but it matters how quickly we win it. So I'm focused on that.” ThinkingTryingRealWinningEnergyProgressSolutionsCrisisFocused Author:Al Gore