focus.

A flashlight and a laser beam are inherently the same thing. Although if I try to find my keys at night in my back yard with a laser I'll start a fire. Also if I try to cut through a piece of titanium metal alloy with my flashlight I may end up looking like the starwars kid more than a carpenter.
They are both the same thing – light.

The difference is focus. There is a lot more light focused into a tiny area. You can tell by what laser means, it is an acronym (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). Laser's are expensive equipment and the out of reach for the average person. A flashlight is a cheap bulb powered by a common battery you can find anywhere.

Both the flashlight and the laser are both useful, as I described above but here is a partial list of uses of the two.

Flashlight:
Help find keys

Laser:
Cut fine diamonds
Cutting and drilling into the earth
Evaporating certain kinds of waste into gas that dissipates
Used as a medical scalpel, especially in cancer surgeries
Improve eyesight (lasic eye surgery)
Remove body hair, birthmarks and tattoos
Facilitate better and faster communication through mediums like fiber optics
They read, write, play and burn your cd's and dvd's
Military weapons targeting (among many other military uses)

As you can see both useful, but one is more valuable because of focus. Get away from the distracters and things that hold you back from focusing on what is important. Humans weren't created for multi-tasking, we were made for purpose, destiny. What is passion? what are you going to do with your life, not just in the future, but today? What is your focus?

Show me your focus and I'll show you what you are.