F O C U S

Focused Great Blue Heron

The most essential requirement of being able to focus is being able not to focus.  This paradox struck me while jogging to boot hockey earlier this morning.  Seems something of a paradox, but such is life.

Astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of wounded US Representative Gabreille Giffords, is one of those people with a tremendous ability to focus.  Because he can focus so well on his work, despite concerns on the home front, he's planning to leave his wife behind for two weeks while on a space shuttle mission this coming April.

Others at NASA were rightfully concerned that he might not be able to focus on his work, with his wife in recovery.  However he's successfully undergone a battery of tests, including four hours in a shuttle simulator and piloting a T-38 trainer jet.  Military training helped him to "compartmentalize", setting aside personal worries in the face of risky missions. 

In this increasingly faced paced worrld, with legions of distractions, those who are able to focus are more likely to rise above the rest, and be successful at whatever their pursuit.  So, in order to really be focused and "dialed in", the key is not to be focused on a multitude of other things. Just say no to multitasking!