Saturday, December 20, 2008

Law 23: Concentrate Your Forces

Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another – intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.
Law 23 is basically, in a way, connected to the law of attraction.

It talks about how our focus and attention in life has to be centered on what we really want and how to get there. What we do in general has to always revolve around our main and end goal. And despite the many other decisions, choices and distractions we come across along the way, we must never lose track and instead hold on and maximize the path that will lead us to where we really want to go.

In the same way, in the law of attraction, priorities have to be set before we pursue anything in our lives. Once that has been set, we must concentrate and think positively on our target and constantly aspire to get there. The clearer and more positive our outlook, the less complicated and easier it will be to achieve what we want. Our positive and focused energy will be a magnet for that.

In both principles, they simply stress the need to give attention to and strengthen our energies towards our objectives. It is all about focusing on what we really want and doing things that will help us make it happen. In law 23, every outcome that we want to happen or that will take place will depend and revolve around how much concentration we put to it.

An example would be a man juggling 3 sports at a time, let’s say baseball, soccer and basketball. The man can be good in all sports, but the tendency is he would only be able to reach a certain level because he has two other sports to focus on. But when the man only plays one sport then he is able to put all his focus in training, conditioning, and weights training. Because he does not need to balance so much his concentration is only on one thing which gives him a greater opportunity to master the sport and surpass any competitors.

Tiffany Mathay
Hi 18 -L

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

yeah, i thought the same thing. this can be applied to orgs too. Although it's cool to say that you're an active member in a lot of orgs, it would still be way better to be an actual officer or head of one organization.

monica ang L

Anonymous said...

this is kind of what La Salle says against Ateneo's School of Management. They have specific courses that master you in one specific field only... accounting, finance, statistics etc. Ateneo on the other hand is called the Jack of All trades but master in none. It's the choice i made in choosing a school. It was a no-brainer. I'm here now.
They win in one, we win in the others. Who's better?


Raf Sobrepena Hi - K

Anonymous said...

jack of all traits master of none sufficiently explains this concept, as well.

the same is true for multi-tasking. sometimes, if we write a paper the same time we watch a movie (and i've been in this position at least twice), it's never the best paper you've written. the same is true for the younger celebrities who are, at once, actresses, singers, dancers and multi million dollar clothing line franchisers / owners.

i think what's most interesting about this concept is how applicable it is to most anything that we encounter -- it's true for school, as well. the tendency to become distracted by other subjects, the feeling of being overwhelmed by the priorities that we must give importance to, as students in all those subjects, sometimes results in failing more than one subject at a time. the stress, the pressure to perform above par in everything becomes unmanageable.

by "concentrating forces" it does not merely speak of prioritizing in terms of listing everything in order of what needs to be done, etc, it also explains how much we should give, how much effort. 100% for whatever we're working for. the turn of phrase sort of explains the gradient of concentration or how much effort we need to give central or peripheral responsibilities.

the question that pops up, however, is related to the student's lifestyle: what happens when everything is important and you can afford to give nothing but 100% ? how much is enough?

kyra ballesteros Hi18 K

Anonymous said...

OK, so concentrating helps when you have a single goal that you KNOW is more important than all the others. But what if, like in Kyra's case, you have more than one important goal, OR if you don't have a goal important enough?
IT ALWAYS HELPS TO HAVE A BACK-UP PLAN. When you love something too much you WILL get your heart broken. You can't expect another person, an inanimate object, or even a concept to reciprocate with the same unyielding devotion you've given him/her/it.
But if you DO have a goal that you can't afford not to accomplish, you will want to focus all your efforts towards it. It's a matter of deciding HOW important it is to you, and how much of the rest of your life you're willing to give up for it.
Dominique Du, L

Anonymous said...

this is an interesting law-- it says so much about how we should live our lives. like in psychology, i learned we should have a "roadmap" of our lives so as to know where we want to go because of what we want to do and how are we going to achieve it. this is where priority comes in, what comes first, second, last? however, if one does not have a "roadmap" or those people who do not know what they want in life (yet), where or how do they concentrate their forces, if they do not know what they want in life or what achievements to make?

laurine fabul, hi18 L

Unknown said...

I like the fact that you associated it with The Law of Attraction because it seems to really make a lot of sense that you juxtaposed the two. I totally agree in prioritizing, because it is here where focus is placed and the end goal is measured.

It is difficult to determine which is better: jack of all trades or master of one. I personally believe in how one handles such tasks and feats that makes one better.

Having a goal in mind is the key to success. Always. Balancing everything, setting things to achieve that goal makes ones ability to concentrate forces truly stand out.

Gia Fortun
Hi18 - K

Anonymous said...

but don't you think that being balanced and all-around matters too? when i read your blog, the ateneo college curriculum immediately entered my mind. when i was in first year, i would always hear my fellow batchmates complain about why they needed to take subjects such as english, filipino, etc. they wondered why they could not proceed directly to their major subjects. i actually like ateneo's system because it makes ateneo's students good in many things. it gives students a lot of options for the future.

also, take a look at nba players. let's say that they pour all they've got into basketball. while they may become successful, they will inevitably age. when it comes to the point where they need to retire, but they still haven't earned enough money, then what happens now? they must also be good in other things so that they can pursue another career. i think it is important for people to be balanced and good in a lot of things.

-Philip Albert T. Verde
Hi18 K

Anonymous said...

@ Philip:
Maybe they shouldn't have gone into basketball in the first place, if they can't live off it in the future. (haha.) But maybe they can use their fame and popularity to aid in other opportunities. I mean, a lot of actors and actresses (Miley Cyrus comes to mind) aren't really talented, but hey, they're very famous and they have a lot of fans. Oh, and I assume they're rich.

But then, when you concentrate your forces, does it necessarily mean that you give 0% to everything else? Can't you be a master of two?

Theresa Rosario Tan
hi18k

Anonymous said...

I personally disagree with concentrating on one thing in particular. I think everyone needs to balance things out. If you concentrate too much on one thing or a few things, you forget everything else.. then what?

And aside from that, I think it's impt to know when to pull back and invest in something else. Though, I guess that comes with experience,too, since I personally don't know much about investing (money, time, etc). There's still a lot of things to learn/do...

Ocampo 18-K

Anonymous said...

to theresa:

i believe you misunderstood me. let's say that the nba players really work hard and stay committed to basketball. this is where they dedicate all their time and efforts. and then let's say that they become excellent and talented players because their hard work paid off. so you can't say that they should not have gone into basketball because it did them well. what i'm saying is, THEY WILL INEVITABLY AGE. their knees might not cooperate with them as much, they might not be able to jump as high as before, and they might not move as quick. and since they're old already, people might end up focusing on the fresh and upcoming players who are ready to make their mark. so using fame is not something easy to do because you are competing with younger players out there who could draw attention. so what happens now to these old players, especially if they still need to earn more? what i'm saying is, it is good to have a back-up plan, a plan b. this can be done if one is good in a lot of things. if one is balanced and all-around, he or she can be flexible and can be able to succeed in many areas. if one excels in a lot of things, then one is creating a lot of options and opportunities for himself. don't you think this is a good thing? i do.

-Philip Albert T. Verde
Hi18 K

Anonymous said...

I think that the law is right with respects to concentrating on certain tasks one at a time. Its sort of how the market works, one cannot own a business that masters everything and still gain maximum profit. It would be a waste of time, money, and effort. This is why we should find a niche in the market (one specific niche, even though it may be intertwined with other businesses)and master it.

But still, at times I think it would be an advantage to certain individuals if they have a large collection of specialties as compared to an individual that mastered only one specialty. This makes one more flexible and diverse when accomplishing different tasks.

Power to the CTM students!!!

Hi- L Richard Hahn

Anonymous said...

@ Tiffany- I like that you related it to the man juggling three sports. This law relates a lot with the saying "jack of all trades, master of none." Spreading one's self too thin is a problem some people have when trying to do too much.

Concentrating one's forces is a smart and practical thing to do because you can narrow down on the flaws of your enemy as well as target your strengths and improve them in order to play your A game each and every time.


Regina Yulo
Hi 18 L

D said...

If we choose to be the jack-of-all trades strategy, I guess our chosen fields should have synergy. That way, more efficient results can surface.

General Electric for example manufactures aircraft parts, motors, medical equipment, energy- generating equipment, etc. It's a conglomerate - perhaps the most successful org of this type.

In a smaller sense, for a more efficient and fun physical excercise, one can take, say, yoga, gymnastics and dancing because they all involve generally the same themes.

That's what I think of concentrating forces. Even though there may be a number of fields, I can shoot all with one fell swoop with a matter of "synergy".

Dylan Valerio
Hi18L

Serica Chua Rojas said...

I think that being a jack of all trades is a phase. If one hasn't found what he is truly capable of or passionate about, it helps for him to continue to expand his horizons until he finally settles for something he wants to specialize in. It's more of like a deductive method. Start by exploring and keeping your options open, you'll learn a lot of things along the way (such as the things that you're good at and the things that you won't really be that good at despite having sold yourself to learning and practicing it).

We are all subjective beings, and our interests and abilities in life vary, so it's beneficial to learn as much as we can while we're young. When we start to develop a different kind of bond with a certain thing, that's when we settle down and say, this is what I'm going to focus on the most.

This is exactly why the Ateneo curriculum is the way it is. It helps you hone your flexibility skills for you to find out whether you might end up appreciating something you never thought you would before. I, personally, know of someone who took up Management on his first year in Ateneo. But after doing a play for his literature class, he fell in love with drama and the arts. He later on shifted to Theater Arts and have been doing really well with it.

Chua Rojas, Serica
Hi 18 - L

Anonymous said...

I agree to this law very much. I think it is best to work on the strongest point we have, to further improve it. We shouldn't try to do everything by ourselves. We should admit that we have limitations, and therefore, we can't do everything we want to. Although there are many things that we want to do, it is better to concentrate our forces on one thing.


Yu Chin Hong
Hi18-K

Gliza Marasigan said...

I cannot agree more. A lot of people try to muster all their energy into doing a lot of things at the same time, thinking it's more time-efficient, and in the end they tend to fail in mastering any one thing. They multi-task in the hope of finishing many things at once, not minding the consequences on the quality of work they produce. If they just worked on their strengths slowly and surely, they'd be able to master in a field and be able to grab hold of their competitive advantage.

Try not to get too pre-occupied with things, it would just clog your system and disorganize your thoughts. Well, that's just my two-cents.

Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L

Anonymous said...

I like this law. Its meaning is dead on.

@ the Ateneo Curriculum:

well, i think this wide range of arts and sciences in our curriculum is a good thing. Because, with the various choices that we have we can find where we should CONCENTRATE OUR FORCES. For example, in High School you were good in math, as good as you are you entered into Ateneo majoring in math. Then you encountered History, through this curriculum you found out that you are much better at history than you are in math, then you can now concentrate on your true calling. but if you did not encounter history in your studies, how can you find out that your true calling was histo?

Villamor O. Dagamac Jr. L

Anonymous said...

Finally, a law that doesn't involve deception, exploitation or falsehood. I like it. It's one of the few laws that makes a lot of sense. As I've commented on Law 7 (Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit), one should just focus on a specific ability and put all his/her efforts into that rather than assuming all the glory for something he/she didn't do. In the end, he/she will obtain genuine triumph.

Monica Copuyoc
Hi18- L

Anonymous said...

I think the cliche statement "Jack of all trades, Master of none" applies here. But I experience it in my life; especially now that I am in college. I want different career paths, and I want to be many different things (author, pilot, actress, etc.). But it is hard to be good at all things, and even if I fulfilled to be all those things that I want to be, you are right, I will only develop my potential up to a certain level because I have other things to balance. My mother says that I should just start by excelling in one field, to prove myself, instead of pursuing many different fields all at once.

~Sydney Arbilo
HI18-L

Anonymous said...

I've always valued well-roundedness, but i also believe that you have to be best at least with one thing.The danger of concentrating on one aspect of power is that it won't work effectively in all situations.

Cristal Rodriguez
Hi18-L

Miguel Galvez said...

I totally agree with Tiffany. If there was one thing that I would remember from all the lessons and morals my mom has taught me, it would probably be these famous saying: "Always move forward with your end goal in mind."

Basically, it says that when we try to achieve something in our lives, the things we do must revolve around them so that we don't get side-tracked from our main goals.

But of course, what we want in life can sometimes change, and there's nothing wrong with that. Time may have been wasted, but it is never too late to start fresh.

- Juan Carlos Miguel M. Galvez
Hi18 - L

Anonymous said...

I agree with Cristal; yes concentrating your forces may have advantages when wanting to achieve greater in a single objective, however when it comes to life sometimes, your objectives change due to the circumstances.

That's the problem with banking your all to one goal. When it hits you that this thing you want to achieve isn't really it, you wouldn't be flexible enough to try another.

Alan Ortiz
HI 18 K

Say said...

Maybe it's really impossible/improper to talk about the two extremes and which one is better (concentrating or being a well-rounded individual). First, it's because it's a situational kind of thing. Example, Monica points out being an active member of a lot of orgs, whether you are an officer of one or an active member of a lot, doesn't matter; it's a reflection of your skill and talent. Or maybe in the perspective of war, of course one has to focus on a certain objective like mentioned in the entry...

I think the real focus of the law isn't about being a master of one over being well-rounded, rather, it is a question of making sure you focus on one (or a few) objective/s then moving on to the next set after succeeding in the objective/s.

Jame Say
Hi18-K

Reggae Princess said...

I find this law interesting and somehow related to the 11th law of power: learn to keep others dependent on you.

It was said that to keep people dependent on you, to be able to remain in a powerful position, that something that people depend on you for should be something unique or one-of-a-kind - something only a few (if not none) people can do.

And how can you find that unique "something" when your forces are scattered?

And there's more: Not only do you have to find that one-of-a-kind "something", you also have to be good (if not one of the best) in it.

Again, like your athelete example, you can only be good in one thing if you invest much attention and effort in it.

Being a jack of all trades, master of none, is not power. People wouldn't depend on average joes who know a little of everything, they will go for masters who know maybe nothing of other things and A WHOLE LOT of one thing.

Unknown said...

This is also my law, and I do sometimes agree with what it says. I've been reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and it says that if you get 10,000 hours of concentration on a single thing, you are already considered quite adept at it! Imagine that, if I had just taken up my mother's offer of piano lessons, and I had stuck with it for 10,000 hours, I would be as good as any virtuosic fellow out there!

However, I personally believe that it's more advantageous to have a share in more than one endeavor. In the case that you don't succeed in one, you'll have fall-backs to compensate with. Look at Michael Jordan when he retired the first time. He had baseball and golf (although not as great haha). But the point is, sometimes it's better if you have your finger in many pies. That sounds wrong haha!

Joey Palma
Hi18-K

Unknown said...

@Raf:

I think what you're saying is related to even to the Health Sciences program of AdMU. My friend says in his program, even if he's going to become a doctor some day, he has to take units in Accounting and even L&S. The same may be argued for Theology and Philosophy because the secular system like UP doesn't require their students to take those up. They are more of specialists rather than all-around, do-it-all people! Both are pretty useful techniques, but it all depends on what you want to do really.

Joey Palma
Hi18-K

Unknown said...

Focus fire - one term in a dota-player's dictionary. In a 5v5 clash sometimes a team focuses spells on the key player on the enemy team and thus takes him out before the fight begins. This gives them the advantage of 5v4. In contrast, spreading out damage is disadvantageous since no one is really hurt severely. There is a tendency of spreading the force too thin to accomplish anything.

Denis Flores
Hi 18k

Anonymous said...

i guess its much better to actually have a sort of weapon and have a weakness than to be balanced in all. With it you can be strong at a certain trait which you can actually use to pulverize the enemy. If you keep on strengthening your weakness you might have no weapon and end up fighting defensive. With a weapon you can rely on, you have something to rely on. You might end up losing a few battles because of your weakness but that's the way life goes, you win some, you lose some.

JR Resma
Hi18 K

Anonymous said...

@ Philip. I'm not saying that you should neglect everything else and just focus on one thing, which is your end goal. I mean even I personally think that is quite stupid. But what the law is trying to say there will always be one thing you are better at, one thing that you love the most compared to all the rest. From experience,I took gymnastics and got places and did very well. So I tried balancing 2 sports at the same time (gymnastics and softball) I did excel in both sporst but only up to a particular level, I couldn't balance enough time in training. After i ended up loving softball more and gave more effort and time to it, and because of that i had to stop gymnastics but then I improved so much in softball. I beleive you can focus on one thing first and after you get sick of it you can just try out another and then move your focus to that.

Tiffany Mathay
Hi18-L

Anonymous said...

I think it's important to focus on your strengths while not neglecting your other capabilities. By focusing on one thing, you will be given a bigger opportunity to excel in that field. Like Tiffany, when I was younger, I was into golf, football, dancing, taekwondo and gymnastics. My performance was pretty average in some of those sports and above average in some. However, I couldn't say that I truly excelled in one sport. Thankfully, I ended up focusing on dancing and worked on how to peak my performance. I think it's important to keep a good foundation first before trying on other things. Fickleness will only lead you to mediocrity and stagnation.

Teri Marcelo
Hi 18-K

Anonymous said...

@Denis

I lol at your example. It is right, even in the real world. However, I think there is more to do in reality. Its not only concentrating fire at one direction, there must always be either a contingency, or a decisive blow.

Like in politics, there must be some allies you can fall back on. Also, there may be times where one has to do some cutthroat economics - especially the case when bigger enterprises kill of budding rivals.

Dyl V
L

Sean said...

I agree with Raf Sobrepena when he talks about the schools. Jack of all traits master of none. But I believe that being a jack of all traits is not bad. It opens up possibilities and allows us to pick from a variety of things we have done and get one as our main point. Take for example sports. I have friends who are capable of playing many sports but they still focus on only one. That is their main goal however, they are still able to play several sports, they just opted to choose one particular sport. I think that this way is better.

Sean Co
Hi 18 K

Anonymous said...

This law really applies well to me.
I always wanted to learn so many things from sports, music, arts to the different fields of studies. Like Teri, I also learned many things when I was younger like Ballet, piano, Taekwondo, drawing, etc, but I can excel in not even one among here. I should have concentrated on one thing I most liked.
However, I do not regret of what I have done. Those were good experiences and although I have not achieved my goal yet, those things I learned which were not my priorities back then, are of use in my life.
Thus, in my opinion, concentrating our forces on something we really like and set as a goal is important, but learning other things too can be of great help in achieving our goals.

Hae In Lee
Hi 18 K

Anonymous said...

This law can definitely be applied in the business world wherein trying to be everything to everyone is the perfect recipe for below average performance. It is so important to zero in on one aspect and be the best at it, rather than trying to do or be everything at once for everyone. Applying this law will generate results close to perfection.


Elise Noelle Anne Lim
Hi18 Section L

Anonymous said...

While it is good to have a specialty or a focus in order to attain your goal I think that you should also be able to know things in different fields because you wouldn't know when you might need it or when it might help you to attain your goal.

Alysa Alberto
Hi18-L

Anonymous said...

Sure concentrating on one thing will get you further in a specific field, but wouldn't that make it easier to disable you? Let's say soldiers in a war focus on the enemy general. All the opposing army has to do then, is to defend their general well and send troops to their backs. Although, I think this law is useful for some situations: one being the dota example Denis gave. I just don't think this is applicable to every situation.

Leo Zacarias hi18-L

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