Start Smart! Mastermind Key Insights - Part 1: Unlocking the Power of Self-Awareness and Focus

Ana Edna GO Author

Welcome to Start Smart!—an exciting journey where leaders, entrepreneurs, and creatives gather to reflect, explore, and build a path toward becoming their best selves. The Start Smart! Mastermind is more than a casual meeting; it's a deep dive into self-awareness, focus, and growth. This is where individuals come together to be challenged, supported, and, most importantly, to be inspired by real talk about real struggles.

If you've ever been in the position of feeling overwhelmed with tasks, but unsure where to start, or if you find yourself juggling multiple projects and losing focus, then you’re in the right place. The beauty of this mastermind is that it dives into those very challenges head-on, leaving no stone unturned. Today, we’ll break down key insights and stories from one of our recent mastermind sessions, showing you how self-awareness, focus, and growth can elevate your personal and professional life.

Part 1: The Struggle is Real—And It’s Okay!

The Start Smart! Mastermind isn’t about getting together to pat each other on the back and talk about how easy everything is. It’s about rolling up your sleeves and admitting that the road to personal and professional growth can feel a bit messy, like an untamed jungle—complete with distractions, uncertainties, and moments of “I don’t even know what I’m doing right now.”

During one of our recent sessions, participants shared their struggles, which ranged from staying focused to dealing with insecurities in their professional lives. Let’s take a look at some of the key moments that really hit home.

The Challenge of Focus

Martha, one of our mastermind members, shared a common struggle that many people, particularly in creative professions, experience. She said, “I get excited about several things that I want to improve, and I lack focus. I get distracted a lot on social media.”

Martha’s message might sound familiar to you, whether you're a musician like her or someone working in a corporate environment. It’s the age-old battle—feeling passionate about several ideas and tasks but ending up scattered, unable to fully dedicate yourself to any one thing. And let's face it, social media doesn’t help, right? One scroll through Instagram, and you’re lost in a vortex of cute cat videos and DIY hacks that have absolutely nothing to do with your to-do list.

But here’s the thing: Martha wasn’t just acknowledging this as a weakness—she was owning it and seeking ways to move forward. She recognized that, in order to achieve her goals, she needed to strengthen her focus and structure her actions. And this is where the mastermind’s true power lies—coming together to not only share challenges but to seek solutions and growth as a collective.

In this session, Ana Edna, the mastermind leader, offered some insight into tackling that lack of focus. “Focus is about making decisions, not just about what you want to do, but what you don't want to do,” she explained. She went on to talk about how discipline, not just inspiration, is what can help us stay on track.

The struggle for focus is real, but we often don’t realize how much control we have over it. The first step is awareness, just like Martha demonstrated.

Knowing Yourself is the First Step

One of the key themes that emerged during the session was the importance of knowing yourself—your strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. This may seem basic, but the truth is that a lot of people rush past this step. They focus on the what (the tasks) instead of the who (the person behind the tasks).

Martha opened up about a specific aspect of her musical career: “I identified that I am not good at memorizing song lyrics. I don’t feel fluid when interacting with the public. Often, I don’t even know what to say to them.”

This honesty was powerful. Martha wasn’t just sharing a small insecurity—she was acknowledging that part of her growth and creative journey was about developing confidence and authentic connection. She recognized that her musical talent was a strength, but there were areas she needed to improve in, especially when it came to audience interaction.

Self-awareness isn’t just about knowing your strengths; it’s also about owning your weaknesses. And sometimes, it means admitting that you don’t have it all figured out—and that’s okay. In fact, it’s the first step toward finding the strategies that will help you overcome those challenges.

Ana Edna’s advice to Martha was spot-on: “Think less about having to be perfect, and more about thinking from the heart and continuing to prepare yourself.” It’s a reminder that the best leaders are not the ones who have all the answers, but the ones who are willing to continue learning and improving.

From Me to You—The Power of Authentic Communication

Once we start understanding ourselves, we move to the next phase: authentic communication. It’s one thing to know your identity, your strengths, and your weaknesses, but it's another thing entirely to express all of that clearly and confidently to others. This brings us to the next evolution in our growth journey: “you,” or communicating effectively with others.

Martha, being a musician, mentioned a particular challenge she faced while performing: “I lose connection with the public because I also play the bass at the same time.”

This statement highlights an important lesson. In any profession, especially those that require public engagement—whether it’s speaking, singing, or leading a team—multitasking can often dilute our connection with the audience. Martha was juggling her musical performance with interacting with the audience, and as a result, she was feeling disconnected.

It’s not uncommon to feel insecure or distracted when you’re juggling multiple roles or tasks. In fact, multitasking is often celebrated in the professional world, but research shows that it’s not always the best way to perform at our highest level. Sometimes, simplifying the task and focusing on one thing at a time is the key to connecting deeply with your audience—or your team.

Effective communication starts with presence—showing up fully, and Martha’s reflection on her challenges is a perfect example of this. She’s not just speaking about her music; she’s talking about how to show up for her audience and give them an experience that goes beyond the notes and lyrics. That's focus, alignment, motivation, and ultimately, caring for others; which sets the tone for growth and sustained success—for her and those around her.

Lessons from the Start Smart! Mastermind

As we reflect on the shared experiences of this mastermind, it’s clear that growth is more than just skills and knowledge—it’s about understanding yourself and connecting with others. You don’t have to be perfect; you just have to be willing to grow, to make connections, and to build systems that allow them to succeed.

As we move forward, Martha’s reflections will guide us into deeper discussions on how we can build our own systems for success, harness the power of focus, and show up from a place of authenticity. This journey is only beginning, and there’s so much more to uncover in the coming parts of this series.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Start Smart! Mastermind series, where we’ll dive even deeper into the strategies for building a powerful mindset and creating real, actionable plans for growth.

Final Thoughts for Today

Before we wrap up Part 1, I’ll leave you with a challenge:

What is one area of your life where you are feeling distracted or unfocused?

Is it your personal goals, your work, or perhaps how you communicate with others? Reflect on this, and think about how Martha’s honesty and Ana Edna’s advice can inspire you to focus on what truly matters—and most importantly, to stay authentic in your journey.

Feel free to drop me a line and share your thoughts with me! I’d love to hear how you’re tackling your focus challenges and how you plan to embrace authentic growth in your own life.

Thanks for joining us for Part 1 of the Start Smart! Mastermind series. See you in Part 2, where we explore how self-awareness prepares us for strategic decision-making and growth for sustained success.

Key Takeaways:

• Focus: Awareness of what distracts you is the first step to overcoming it.
• Self-Awareness: Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is vital for growth.
• Authenticity: True growth begins with showing up fully, without the need to be perfect.

Categories: : Mastermind, Start Smart -> Grow Strong, StartSmart