Focus: The hidden driver of excellence

Attention has come under siege, largely by technologies like email, texts, smartphones and the like. These invite the outside world to impinge on what had previously been private time when we could focus on what we need to do. While all these technologies have tremendous advantages, they come at a social and emotional cost. On this Voices in the Family, Dan Gottlieb speaks with Daniel Goleman about his new book Focus. Combining cutting-edge research with practical findings, it offers a look at today’s scarcest resource and the secret to high performance and fulfillment: attention. In an era of unstoppable distractions, Goleman persuasively argues that now more than ever we must learn to sharpen focus if we are to survive in a complex world. Drawing on case studies from fields as diverse as competitive sports, education, the arts, and business, he shows why high-achievers need all three kinds of focus, and explains how those who rely on mindfulness meditation, focus excel while others plateau- and how we can strenghen this crucial muscle in our mind.