Staying focused is essential to achieving our goals

[UPDATE 2025-06-02]

This is something I’ve found to be true and genuinely helpful in my own experience. It might not work for everyone, but hopefully, it can be of help.

Recently, I joined a short online course. There are friends in the class raised an interesting question: “How to be successful in…”

The discussion reminded me of a very basic yet critical principle – something simple to understand but difficult to follow in our busy modern lives:

STAY FOCUSED

Regardless of how smart we are, without enough effort, our goals will remain just goals.

It’s a timeless truth: maintaining FOCUS is essential for success and achieving our goals. In a world full of distractions, the ability to stay focused is a powerful advantage.

Definition of successful in achieving something

My definition of successful is simple: achieving a desired goals or result (regardless of whether the goal itself is good or bad, small or big,..).

It can be expressed as (inspired by Hegel’s Dialectics on development):

Success = Quality Change = Cumulative Progress Over Time

And it can be formulated as:

Success = (Focus in Vision × Goals) × Support from (Luck × Fault Tolerance)
or more concisely:
Success = Focus (Vision, Goals) × Support (Luck, Fault Tolerance)

Focus (Vision, Goals): The internal drive that keeps you aligned with your purpose (Vision) and actionable steps (Goals). It represents your ability to maintain discipline and direction.

Support (Luck, Fault Tolerance): The external and adaptive elements that sustain your journey. Luck (or just opportunity) enhances opportunities, while Fault Tolerance ensures resilience through failures and setbacks.

Let’s break this down:

Luck

From my point of view, luck is not random chance. Instead, it often from interpersonal relationships and the cumulative impact of our actions. Luck is the outcome of unexpected events, but those events actually are shaped by the activities we engage in every day.

Good luck tends to emerge from positive actions.
Bad luck often results from negative actions.

To be standout, we should increase the likelihood of “good luck,” we must commit to consistently doing positive, value-driven activities.

Vision

Vision means knowing what you truly want and being confident that what you’re doing aligns with that purpose.

It acts as your inner compass, guiding decisions and keeping you on track—especially when the journey is long or complex.

Goals

Goals are your concrete milestones. They translate your vision into clear, actionable and measurable objectives. Without goals, focus is directionless, and success becomes vague.

Focus

Focus is the ability to stay disciplined, avoid distractions, and make consistent progress.

Focus is fragile, it can decrease if progress becomes inconsistent or if you are misaligned with your goals.

Fault Tolerance

The capacity to adapt, recover from failures, and continue despite setbacks. Without this, the entire formula is fragile.

This resilience can take many forms: mental, physical, financial, social relationship,..

Humans make mistakes, without fault tolerance, life starts to feel like a one-life game. The goal is to increase our fault tolerance as much as we can.

Example

I’m planning to improve my English, and my goal is to achieve an IELTS certificate with a score of 8.0

Luck

I strive to maintain a positive attitude and support others in every English learning activity. Positive energy brings positive opportunities (for example: finding a good course, mentor or friends that support my English learning)

Vision

I’m currently at a score of 4.0, and I am determined to reach 8.0.

Self-learning hasn’t worked well for me when it comes to speaking skills. I need someone, – a tutor or conversation partner – to guide and correct me. So, I’m considering taking English classes to improve in this area.

Goals

I’ve broken this goal into three yearly milestones:

Year 1: Reach 6.0 by attending English classes.
Year 2: Achieve a 7.0 score through consistent practice and exposure.
Year 3: Attain 8.0 by refining advanced skills.

Focus

Since my time is limited, I dedicate 0.5 to 1 hour each day to English study and at least 2 hours every weekend. I also commit to one mock test per month to track progress.

Fault Tolerance

I’ve identified potential risks and put safeguards in place to reduce the chance of failure:

Financial risk: I’ve saved enough to cover the cost of English courses and exams.
Risk of interruptions: I’ve communicated my goals and study schedule to my family to minimize unnecessary disturbances.
Risk of giving up:
- Due to laziness: I study English daily from 7:00 to 8:00 AM to build a consistent habit.
- Due to burnout: I give myself one day off each week to rest and recharge.

Final Thought

Among all the elements in the success equation, FOCUS is the key.

We live in a world that changes rapidly. Our memory and energy are limited. Our knowledge can become outdated at any time. Without consistent progress, your past efforts risk fading away – resetting to zero.

Focus means treating time as a valuable resource.
By reducing wasted time, you free up space for new opportunities and meaningful growth.

Life is short. Your time is limited, it’s your precious fuel, your glittering gold, and your greatest opportunity. Embrace it wisely.

Hung Doan