I was confused. There is an old adage that says you can’t ride more than one horse at one time, but I had been to the circus and had seen the performers riding on the back of the two horses. The statement was obviously not true because I had seen it for myself.

P.T. Barnum said, “Engage in one kind of business only, and stick to it faithfully until you succeed, or until your experience shows that you should abandon it. A constant hammering on one nail will generally drive it home at last, so that it can be clinched. When a man’s undivided attention is centered on one object, his mind will constantly be suggesting improvements of value, which would escape him if his brain was occupied by a dozen different subjects at once. Many a fortune has slipped through a man’s fingers because he was engaged in too many occupations at a time. There is good sense in the old caution against having too many irons in the fire at once.”

In today’s complex world of commitments and activities it is wise to remember that divided attention generally results in divided loyalties and returns. If you are experiencing divided powers on seeming collective activities, maybe its time to make sure you have harnessed the horses together.

That was the secret of the circus, in order for the performers to be able to ride more than one horse at a time, both horse must be harnessed together and moving in the same direction.