An important and interesting word in the English language is the word “Focus.” According to the dictionary it means “The adjustment of the eye, camera, lens, etc., so that a clear image is produced.” This is only one of six different definitions listed — most are about cameras, images and so forth.

Focus is a very important part of a successful life. For example, where would we be when it comes to threading a needle if we couldn’t focus? On a more practical and personal note, my wife Janis and I have a lot of good-natured ribbing when it comes to my driving. Sometimes when I am thinking about something else and get distracted, instead of focusing my mind wanders and I tend to cross over the lines a little here and there. And she lets me know it. My only defense is that I have been driving for more than 70 years and have never had an accident. Please pardon me for a moment as I stop to knock on wood.

One thing I have noticed as we have gotten older is that I do almost all the driving, like taking her to the beauty shop or a doctor’s appointment. She calls it “Driving Miss Daisy,” and I am more than happy to do it to express my gratitude for her fixing all those delicious home-cooked meals.

But back to the word “focus,” as this is important in most anything you care to name. I was thinking about a football game when a big-ole lineman loses his focus and jumps offside. This costs the team five yards, and if it happens too many times it really hampers the team’s chances of winning. When it comes to having a very sharp focus, there is nothing in this world that will help us more than reading good books. I have a chapter in my new book titled “Reading Sharpens the Mind” where I list a good number of books at the end of the chapter that will help us do that. As a personal note, I would just like to say that I have read each one, some more than once, and I am blessed each time I do. 

Here is the list that I can highly recommend, as reading each one will help us keep our minds sharp. 1. The Holy Bible. 2. “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. 3. “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. 4. “A Game Plan for Life” by Coach John Wooden. 5. “Gifted Hands” by Dr. Ben Carson. 6. “Same Kind of Different As Me” by Ron Hall. 7. “See You at the Top” by Zig Ziglar. 8. “The Strong-Willed Child” by Dr. James Dobson. 9. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. 10. “He Still Moves Stones” by Max Lucado. 11. “John Adams” by David McCullough. 12. “Words to Lift Your Spirits” by Coach Dale Brown. 13. “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine. 14. “People Who Live at the End of Dirt Roads” by Lee Pitts. 15. “The Thread That Runs So True” by Jesse Stuart. 16. “A Walk Across America” by Peter Jenkins. 17. “The Greatest Salesman in the World” by Og Mandino. 18. “Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do” by Dr. Robert Schuler. 19. “Psycho Cybernetics” by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. 20. “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Dr. Stephen Covey. 21. “None of These Diseases” by Dr. S. I. McMillen. 22. “Uncommon” by Coach Tony Dungy.

To conclude, here is a thought I want to leave you with: “A mind stretched by a new idea can never again return to its original shape.” The key is to focus. P.S. I will be right back after I take Miss Daisy to get her hair fixed.

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(For a personally signed copy of my new book ‘Your Future Begins Today’ send $20 — includes postage & handling — to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)