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What is going on, my friends? Happy New Year. I hope that you had a great holiday season and you are ready to have a fantastic 2026. This is the Ryan Link podcast, where we love to keep things short and sweet. If you're new to this podcast, these episodes are anywhere between 10 to 14 minutes. Really short nuggets that just want to give you one thing to think about that we believe can add value to your week, to your life, to your relationships, your leadership. And today, we're kicking off a series, actually a podcast series. Over the next four weeks, I'm going to talk about this subject of being a better you. And I am absolutely committed to just getting better. And I think you should, too. I think that's why you listen to a podcast. I think that's why you read a book or follow people that are inspirational, because you want to grow, you want to want to get better. And so I want to look at four facets of a better you that if you adopt these things in 2026, I think you're not just going to be a better you at the end of the year. I think you're going to have absolutely a better year. And so the first aspect of a better you and a better me is a focused you. A focused me. Yeah. This episode, I want to talk to you about focus. Not hustle, not motivation, not grinding harder. No, no, no. I want to talk to you about focus. Because if we're honest, most people aren't accomplishing their goals because they lack motivation or because they lack desire. Most people don't accomplish their goals because, well, they're distracted. You and I live in a world that is incredibly motivated and wildly distracted. Think about this. Did you know that the average person is interrupted every few minutes? Some studies suggest that we actually switch tasks every 40 to 50 seconds when working digitally. Think about that for a second. Like you could be working on something, and yet there's something that can pop up on your screen that distracts us. And some studies suggest that it can take up to 20 minutes to fully refocus. Think about that. We are rarely giving anything our undivided attention. Yet you and I can easily find ourselves incredibly frustrated by getting shallow results. Did you know that the average adult spends over seven hours a day looking at screens? Many of us check our phones more than 90 times a day. Before the day even starts, our attention has already been divided by emails, notifications, headlines, group chats, and, of course, social media. And attention, my friends, is not neutral. Whatever has your attention has your energy. Whatever has Your energy shapes your direction. That's why I believe focus is not a productivity issue. It's a life issue. Now, here's what I would love for you to consider in 2026. What could be possible if you focused for just one year? For just one year. I heard somebody say the other day, you are one year of focus away from your friends saying, you got lucky. Yeah, you got lucky. You're like, no, no, no, no. I didn't get lucky. I got focused for one year. I'm not even talking a lifetime. I'm not talking about forever. I'm talking about just one year. Could you imagine what your life would look like a year from now if you had focus? Not motivation, focus. I'm talking if you were locked in. I learned this the hard way in 2022. The end of 2022. That made my 2023 one of the most focused years of my life. And it was a game changer in 2022. My career was starting to grow pretty rapidly. Rocket launch, if you will. And I had so many different voices in my life, positive voices, good people that were telling me to do lots of things. So I ended up having lots of irons in the fire. And I'll never forget, I actually got to a place where somebody had invited me to a basketball game, an NBA game. It was like a bucket list moment for me and my son, and we were on the court. It was. It was awesome. And as we're walking off the court, my back went out, and I was like, what in the world? And I had been off for about a week, and I actually saw many doctors. No one could tell me what was wrong with me until I spoke to one of my friends who has a PhD in stress. Actually, another episode for another day. And come to find out I had just been doing way too much. And so what that did is that it led to the year 2023, which became my word for that year was focused on. And I just started eliminating distractions like crazy. I actually stopped doing a podcast for a while. I had to really lock in on just speaking. And looking back, I think I was. I was doing so much writing, so much coaching courses and side projects and conferences and saying yes to people I should not have been saying yes to. But out of guilt, I was just saying yes because, you know, I want people to like me and had all of these sorts of reasons for. For doing that. But if I was. If I was honest, I. I wasn't locked in. I wasn't focused. Nothing was failing, but nothing was Great. And that was the problem. You see, eventually I had to get honest with myself because all of the noise and the busyness was costing me clarity. My attention was fragmented, and it was honestly, it was showing up in the value I was delivering to my clients. So I just made that decision to cut out the noise and focus on speaking. Not forever, but just for that season. And something interesting happened when I took that year and really locked in on communication. I said, hey, I'm not trying to be the best speaker in the world. I'm trying to be the best speaker I can be. When I did that, my talks got better, my preparation got sharper, my value to clients increased. I was more present, I was more thoughtful, I was more intentional. Here's the deal. I wasn't doing more. I was doing better. That's my hope for you in 2026, is that you would get better. And I think a better you is a focus to you. And so that year just reminded me that focus does not limit impact, it multiplies it. So I want you to think about that one year of saying no to some good things so you can say yes to the right things. Just. Just one year of protecting your attention like it actually matters. Just one year of doing fewer things better. Because sometimes the biggest hurdle in our growth is not a lack of motivation. It is a surplus of distractions. And I think one of the best things about focus is it requires maturity. It requires maturity. It requires adulting and grown up conversations to say, hey, I really wanted that. But I'm really locked in on writing right now. I'm really locked in on my business. I'm really locked in with my family right now. I'm really like, I've just decided to just narrow my focus. And whatever you narrow your focus focus on, I'm telling you, it's going to get better. And guess what? You are going to get better. And so I hope and I pray that this is one of the best years of your life. And I think it starts when you really decide to lock in and decide to focus. So as we start the year, I want to challenge you with one simple question. Where does your focus need to be this year? Not 10 things, not a long list, just one clear answer. Because a better you does not come from adding more pressure. It comes from giving your attention to what matters most. And I just think that you would be surprised what is possible with one year of focus. And this, my friends, is just the beginning. Thanks for listening to the Ryan Link podcast. If today's episode inspired you don't keep it to yourself, share it with a friend. And hey, it would mean the world to me if you'd take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. Your support helps us reach even more people with these short and sweet nuggets of inspiration. Thanks so much for being a part of the journey and we'll catch you next time.