Focus: Post #1--Overview

Overview

Attention is the muscle of the mind, and distraction is like the infectious “common cold.” Your mind gets strengthened by attention and weakened by mind wandering. Goleman calls our attention to three types of focus: Inner Focus—self-awareness and control; Other Focus—empathy for others and relationship building; and Outer Focus on the external environment —systems thinking. Two brains within us control our thoughts—bottom brain (basal, instinctual, ancient) and top brain (slower, cognitive, wandering). Using mindfulness and switching brains can help us focus, solve important problems, and attain excellence.

Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence (HarperCollins, 2013) by Daniel Goleman.