Narrow Scope of Focus

Focused intensity is an important aspect in the process of accomplishing goals & even everyday tasks.  By paying close attention to the task at hand we are able to succeed in anything we apply our energy towards.  Focused intensity is vital.  It helps us complete our tasks with greater efficiency.  Focused intensity typically results in a job well done, something we are proud of.

I began to question the conventional wisdom of focused intensity & wondered if by focusing all of our attention on one specific task, one goal, one desire, if we weren’t missing out on something.  Are opportunities passing us by right this very moment?  Think about it.  If you are looking left and opportunity goes right, you just missed it, but you would never even know.

While questioning focused intensity I remembered a time when I was staring at a book, not reading the words, but just focusing on a letter.  Soon everything around me began to turn black.  All I could see was the typed letter on the page of the book.  Nothing else.  I was so focused on the one thing that the entire world around me literally disappeared.

We get this sort of tunnel vision (figuratively) when we obsess over material possessions, success, failure.  We forget about everything else around us, only caring about whatever it is we are focused on.  Sometimes this fixation becomes so imposing that we let our responsibilities suffer.  Our marriages deteriorate.  Our work ethic slips.  Our financial situations teeter on the brink of destruction.  All because we aren’t able to see what is right in front of us.

To try and demonstrate my point, I will resort to visual trickery in the form of an optical illusion.  Stare at the black dot in the center of the photo & watch as the grey cloud slowly disappears from sight.  Now you can see how something right in front of you can disappear from sight if you are focusing too much attention on one specific object.

Wait…was that opportunity that just slipped by?