1. A piece in your success puzzle
By Mary McWilliams
Fall 2014

2. Or: Do you have the
attention s pan of a goldfis h?

3. A goldfish has an
average attention
span of 9
seconds.
How do
you
compare?

4. Research shows that:
 Attention span is
waning.
 Thirteen years ago, the
average attention span
was 12 seconds.
 In 2014, it’s 8 seconds.
 (Source: US National Library of
Medicine)
 95% of people report
they have trouble
focusing.

5. Whether a fleeting
idea, dream, or
realization,
Most
everything we
do begins as a
thought. The
key is taking
that idea and
continually
focusing your
efforts to follow
through.

6. --- Daniel Goleman, author of Focus: The Hidden Driver
of Excellence and pioneer of the Emotional Intelligence
theory
 “… the science of attention has blossomed
far beyond vigilance. That science tells us
these skills determine how well we perform
any task. If they are stunted, we do poorly; if
muscular, we can excel. Our very nimbleness
in life depends on this subtle faculty.”

7. Essentially, your
success is affected
by your ability to
focus.
 Look at the picture on the
next slide. How long can you
focus on this picture?
 What do you see initially?
 How does the image change
after focusing on it for a few
seconds?

9. Multitasking: Good or Bad?
 Multitasking, long hailed
as a essential component
of functioning
successfully, is actually,
according to Goleman,
the “bane of efficiency.”

10. “Routine
disruptions
from a given
focus at work
can mean
minutes lost to
the original
task. It can take
10-15 minutes
to regain full
focus(p. 203).”

11. On the other hand,
 Goleman says, “Failure to drop one focus and move on
to others can, for example, leave the mind lost in
repeating loops of chronic anxiety. The power to
disengage our attention from one thing to move it to
another is essential for well-being.”

12. Researchers
estimate we have
between 12,000
and 60,000
thoughts each
day.
As much as 98
percent of those
thoughts are the
same every day.

13. The three aspects of focus
 Goleman identifies three different aspects of focus:
 Inner
 Outer
 Other

14. Inner Focus is about
 Self awareness
 Knowing ourselves
 Being in touch with our
emotions
 Tapping into our
intuition

15. Outer awareness/focus is about
 Applying the
understanding of
ourselves to others
 Knowing how to read
and relate to those
around us.

16. Other focus
 Concentrates on being
able to read:
 Systems
 Organizations
 Movements

17. Success
 Often depends upon the ability to balance all three
forms of focus.

18. First, you need a
sense of awareness
of WHEN and WHY
you lose focus.

19.  According to Goleman, the more aware you are of when
your mind starts wandering, your tendency to wander
becomes weaker because you are more engaged in bringing
your focus back to the issue you are addressing. Studying
monks and meditation has brought this to realization.

20. Simple ways to help focus:
 Set aside time to focus
and time to refresh
(especially when
studying)
 Silence the phone
 Clear your work area of
distractions
 Get comfortable in your
work area
 Put on earphones to
block out noise
 Make a short list of what
you want to accomplish
each day and stick to it.
 Train your brain in
mindfulness by focusing
on one thing for 5-15
minutes.
 Reward yourself.

22. Your success is
counting on you!

23. This presentation is based on:
 Focus: The Hidden Driver
of Excellence by Daniel
Goleman
 Building Your Business:
Flexing Your Mental
Muscles by Jean Bailey.
In AMTA Massage
Therapy Journal,
Summer 2014 vol 53 (no.
2), pp. 29-32.