---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to have to force myself to go…"
description: "\"I used to have to force myself to go, okay, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing and then all of a sudden a thought of some where could come in. Now I ca..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/nancy-johnson-31932_focus_i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-oka_248394.jpg"
---

#  I used to have to force myself to go, okay, nothing…

![“I used to have to force myself to go, okay, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing and then all of a sudden a thought of some where could come in. Now I can just focus and not think about anything. So, yeah, I guess I do that a lot.” quote by Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/nancy-johnson-31932_focus_i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-oka_248394.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/nancy-johnson-31932_focus_i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-oka_248394.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/nancy-johnson-31932_focus_i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-oka_248394.jpg)

> “I used to have to force myself to go, okay, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing and then all of a sudden a thought of some where could come in. Now I can just focus and not think about anything. So, yeah, I guess I do that a lot.”

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker describes moving from forced effort to a state of effortless focus, allowing thoughts to arise naturally without pressure.

**In simple terms:** She shifted from forced action to relaxed concentration, letting ideas appear.

Key Takeaway

Practice letting go of forced effort to improve focus.

Themes

mindfulness focus effortless action mental flow self‑discipline

Mood

calm determined

Type

practical inspirational

When to use this quote

- creative work
- studying
- problem solving
- sports performance
- daily routines

Key Concepts

psychology productivity meditation attention training

Questions to Reflect On

- What techniques help you transition to relaxed focus?
- How does letting go affect your productivity?

A Different Perspective

Sustaining effortless focus can be challenging without regular practice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/)

## Related quotes

> [“The mind roams more widely in the dark than it does in light. It is no surprise, then, stepping out of the unlit house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/the-mind-roams-more-widely-in-the-dark-than-it-does-in-light-it-is-no/)

[Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/)

> [I was sitting in a chair in the patent office at Bern when all of a sudden a thought occurred to me: "If a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-was-sitting-in-a-chair-in-the-patent-office-at-bern-when-all-of-a/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Stung by the splendour of a sudden thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/stung-by-the-splendour-of-a-sudden-thought/)

[Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/)

> [Sudden a thought came like a full-blown rose, Flushing his brow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/sudden-a-thought-came-like-a-full-blown-rose-flushing-his-brow/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [“A sudden thought struck me. Wouldn't it be odd if my mother got old! ... It is only natural that when your children are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-daly/a-sudden-thought-struck-me-wouldn-t-it-be-odd-if-my-mother-got-old-it/)

[Maureen Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-daly/)

> [“Dear old fellow! He couldn't have got himself up with more care if he'd been going a-wooing," said Jo to herself, and then a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/dear-old-fellow-he-couldn-t-have-got-himself-up-with-more-care-if-he/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [“On a day like today I am stung by the splendor of a sudden thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/on-a-day-like-today-i-am-stung-by-the-splendor-of-a-sudden-thought/)

[Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/)

> [I've learned that you never have to think about how to make money. You need only to focus on what you think is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenio-derbez/i-ve-learned-that-you-never-have-to-think-about-how-to-make-money-you/)

[Eugenio Derbez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenio-derbez/)

> [Longevity of focus, I think, is the hardest part. You know it's to have a vision and then try to hold that vision and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-jenkins/longevity-of-focus-i-think-is-the-hardest-part-you-know-it-s-to-have/)

[Patty Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-jenkins/)

> [I think sometimes you just lose your focus, and I think that's easy to do when you start getting more fame, more money, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/i-think-sometimes-you-just-lose-your-focus-and-i-think-that-s-easy-to/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [Focus less on what others think of you; don't allow your energy to be drained by worrying. Place your energy into moving you towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/focus-less-on-what-others-think-of-you-don-t-allow-your-energy-to-be/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [If you feel so lonely you could cry, take the focus off yourself. Think of how much God loves you, and find another person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/if-you-feel-so-lonely-you-could-cry-take-the-focus-off-yourself-think/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [One of the keys to thinking big is total focus. I think of it almost as a controlled neurosis, which is a quality I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/one-of-the-keys-to-thinking-big-is-total-focus-i-think-of-it-almost/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [I don't want to try to live up to someone who's created something so incredible. I'm just trying to focus on what I'm doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-don-t-want-to-try-to-live-up-to-someone-who-s-created-something-so/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [I definitely have to focus more and think more on what exactly I'm doing, rather than just use my athleticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javale-mcgee/i-definitely-have-to-focus-more-and-think-more-on-what-exactly-i-m/)

[JaVale McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javale-mcgee/)

## More by Nancy Johnson

> [I have had a hard time settling on one medium and feel like a dilettante at times, taking up one medium and then wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/i-have-had-a-hard-time-settling-on-one-medium-and-feel-like-a/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [No one is above the law, not even the president. I believe perjury does meet at least the definition of high misdemeanor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/no-one-is-above-the-law-not-even-the-president-i-believe-perjury-does/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [Every child in America deserves high-quality health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/every-child-in-america-deserves-high-quality-health-care/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [Once I got to the OTC they knew more about the physical aspects of shooting, and knew which muscles were more important to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/once-i-got-to-the-otc-they-knew-more-about-the-physical-aspects-of/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [I mean, one shot you treat like you have forty little matches instead of one forty shot match. It makes all the difference in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/i-mean-one-shot-you-treat-like-you-have-forty-little-matches-instead/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [America's craft brewers know that beer, not wine, is the best beverage for accompanying a good meal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/america-s-craft-brewers-know-that-beer-not-wine-is-the-best-beverage/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [Yes, I mean, I used to be into the big bulk thing, and that's why my legs look like those of a cyclist instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/yes-i-mean-i-used-to-be-into-the-big-bulk-thing-and-that-s-why-my/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [You know, differentiating between training and matches. If they are all matches it becomes very natural to shoot them, although Dan thinks I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/you-know-differentiating-between-training-and-matches-if-they-are-all/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [How do I handle it? I would say more times than not, if I have a bad shot, I just get angry and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/how-do-i-handle-it-i-would-say-more-times-than-not-if-i-have-a-bad/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [House passage is good news for the Northwest corner and our environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/house-passage-is-good-news-for-the-northwest-corner-and-our/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [Tax bills create wealth. They help people live better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/tax-bills-create-wealth-they-help-people-live-better/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [No, I think I used to be pretty superstitious about certain things, but I'm really not anymore. As long as I have everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/no-i-think-i-used-to-be-pretty-superstitious-about-certain-things-but/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [A lot of them are afraid to sit down and break their position. You should be able to make it so natural that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/a-lot-of-them-are-afraid-to-sit-down-and-break-their-position-you/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [Millions of American families affected by debilitating diseases have new hope today after the U.S. House passed legislation to support potentially life-saving stem cell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/millions-of-american-families-affected-by-debilitating-diseases-have/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

> [We usually use that mostly on the weekends because we have access to the range during the week. But I can tell you a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/we-usually-use-that-mostly-on-the-weekends-because-we-have-access-to/)

[Nancy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

[Explore all 16 Nancy Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/)

## More Focus quotes

> [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/)

[Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/)

> [Music is a job, but I figured out ways to get my mind into a place where I could be creative. I actually discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flume/music-is-a-job-but-i-figured-out-ways-to-get-my-mind-into-a-place/)

[Flume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flume/)

> [“If you're focused, you can't get bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-re-focused-you-can-t-get-bored/)

[Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/)

> [There are more important things to focus on in life than how you look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arden-cho/there-are-more-important-things-to-focus-on-in-life-than-how-you-look/)

[Arden Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arden-cho/)

> [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/)

[Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [“This is Galileo,” said Aristotle. “He advocates understanding the world through observation and experiment. He is an unimaginative thinker, but his results demand our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-is-galileo-said-aristotle-he-advocates-understanding-the-world/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [Too many times we flitter our energy into too many goals and in the process don't achieve much. Focus is very important in life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaishali-kasture/too-many-times-we-flitter-our-energy-into-too-many-goals-and-in-the/)

[Vaishali Kasture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaishali-kasture/)

> [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/)

[Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [All I'm focused on is playing my game. Everything else will take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grigor-dimitrov/all-i-m-focused-on-is-playing-my-game-everything-else-will-take-care/)

[Grigor Dimitrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grigor-dimitrov/)

> [Focus on being productive instead of busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/focus-on-being-productive-instead-of-busy/)

[Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/)

[Browse all 11,734 Focus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I used to have to force myself to go, okay, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing and then all of a sudden a thought of some where could come in. Now I can just focus and not think about anything. So, yeah, I guess I do that a lot.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nancy Johnson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-okay-nothing-nothing-nothing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Focus"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-okay-nothing-nothing-nothing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/nancy-johnson-31932_focus_i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-oka_248394.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/nancy-johnson-31932_focus_i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-oka_248394.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/nancy-johnson-31932_focus_i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-oka_248394.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I used to have to force myself to go, okay, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing and then all of a sudden a…” — Nancy Johnson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Nancy Johnson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-johnson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I used to have to force...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-okay-nothing-nothing-nothing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-johnson/i-used-to-have-to-force-myself-to-go-okay-nothing-nothing-nothing/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
