We get more of whatever we focus on.
Say it with me: We get more of whatever we focus on.
I call it seeing red cars.
Maybe you’ve experienced this: You buy your dream car, custom wheels, polished bumpers, and its cherry red. Driving it home, suddenly it feels like every other car on the road is red. By the end of the week, you’re thinking, is everyone driving a red car?
Of course not. You’re just seeing more red cars because that’s what you’re focused on.
And that’s the truth about influence, leadership, fundraising, and sales. We don’t attract what we want – we attract what we focus on.
Think about the golfer standing at the tee. The ball is set, the green is waiting, but all they’re saying in their head is, don’t hit it in the water. And where does the ball go? Into the water.
Or think about a fundraiser who says, I don’t want to lose this donor. A salesperson who thinks, I don’t want to look foolish in this meeting. A leader who thinks, I don’t want conflict on my team.
What happens? They lose the donor. They look foolish. They create conflict.
Here’s the principle at work: focus equals influence.
- In sales, if you focus on rejection, you’ll sell from fear instead of confidence.
- In fundraising, if you focus on scarcity, you’ll repel abundance.
- In leadership, if you focus on conflict avoidance, you’ll miss the chance to build trust through healthy tension.
We teach people how to treat us, how to buy from us, how to give to us, not by what we say we want, but by where we put our focus.
So, how do you shift from “don’t hit the water” to “land it on the green”? Here are three steps:
- Commit to what you want. State it clearly. Say: “I want to deepen this donor relationship.” “I want to close this sale.” “I want to build a culture of trust.”
- Monitor your focus. Notice when you slip into “don’t wants.” Shift back to your vision.
- Practice persistently. Write it down. Picture it daily. Say it out loud. Hold yourself accountable.
Focus works like a magnet. And when you pair focus with influence, you don’t just attract outcomes, you create them.
The Cliff Young Shuffle
One of my favorite examples of this principle is the story of Cliff Young.
In 1983, Cliff entered the Sydney-to-Melbourne ultramarathon, a 6-day, 875-kilometer (that’s over 500 miles!) race. It was considered the toughest endurance event in the world. Only the most elite, professional runners dared compete.
Cliff was 61 years old. A farmer. He showed up at the starting line wearing overalls, a sweater, and galoshes. The crowd laughed. Reporters asked if he was there as a joke. The other runners left him in the dust at the start, sprinting with their sleek gear and years of training.
But here’s what Cliff had that they didn’t: focus.
You see, Cliff spent his life herding sheep across massive stretches of farmland in Australia—sometimes for days at a time. He knew how to keep going. He knew how to shuffle step after step, even when exhausted. And unlike the professional runners, Cliff didn’t know he was “supposed” to stop and sleep at night.
So while the others rested, Cliff kept moving. Slowly. Consistently. Focused only on one thing: finishing.
By day five, this “old farmer” had passed them all. By the end, he didn’t just finish—he won. Cliff Young shattered the record by more than nine hours. And today, most ultramarathoners still use the “Cliff Young shuffle” as their endurance technique.
What Cliff Teaches Us About Focus
Cliff Young didn’t focus on what he didn’t want, he didn’t waste energy thinking, don’t come in last, don’t embarrass yourself, don’t let them laugh at you.
He focused on what he wanted: to keep moving, to finish the race. And that focus carried him farther than anyone expected.
Think about the implications:
- In fundraising, what if instead of focusing on “don’t lose the donor,” you focused on building a meaningful, long-term relationship?
- In sales, what if instead of focusing on “don’t miss quota,” you focused on solving your client’s biggest problem?
- In leadership, what if instead of focusing on “don’t rock the boat,” you focused on building a high-performance, aligned team?
Like Cliff, you don’t need to be the flashiest, fastest, or most polished in the room. You just need to keep moving steadily toward what you want.
Because influence is not about avoiding failure, it’s about creating momentum.
What Are You Choosing to See?
Every day, you have a choice:
- See the red cars you don’t want—scarcity, fear, conflict.
- Or see the red cars you do want—abundance, opportunity, trust, and results.
Cliff’s victory reminds us that extraordinary influence doesn’t always look extraordinary. Sometimes it’s just persistence, focus, and clarity about what you want.
So I’ll leave you with this: what are you seeing today?
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