Herman School of Business
What are you Watching?
Two people are sitting on the couch watching the same thing. One is just watching…glossy eyed…taking in the event or show on TV, listening to the dialogue and when its over they just click off the set and never think about what they saw again. The other person is actually observing and not just watching. That second person is noticing how or why something is done a certain way. The other person is hearing more than the words…they are connecting the verbal message to the action. They are learning something from watching this thing…and will retain information for future use.
Concentration and focus is the difference.
You see, I believe you can work while you watch. Some people don’t know how to relax. They have to analyze everything. Is it just a curiosity thing? Or is it that they love twirling the information around to find out new information all the time. Last night we waited outside the ballpark to go to the game. One grandson flitted around as young boys do, even ending up lying face down on the sidewalk flapping his arms and kicking his feet… “Look I am Michael Phelps” he cried out making all around us laugh out loud. The other grandson climbed on my shoulders and started pointing at the buildings downtown wanting to know how old each structure might be. In a few moments he started distinguishing the architecture knowing which high rise was older than another one. He is only five and he was learning…and immediately applying the information to identify the difference in building styles and materials.
While the kids were “working” as both showed they were paying attention to something they saw and using their knowledge later…most of the older folks just stared out at space. The older ones, myself included, weren’t focusing our minds on anything…we were just waiting for the gates to open. Maybe we can learn from these kids. Their minds are so open to new stuff they don’t understand. They want to learn and use the data they pick up. Are you losing focus on your business or your life and just staring past something that might actually help you?
Start making yourself focus on what you are watching or hearing…see if you can pick up information you can use to market your business or project…or just make your life more fun. When those kids showed what they had learned both were beaming with joy…like you will feel when you concentrate and don’t just let time pass by while you lack a little focus.
- Posted: 24 August 2008
- Comments: 0
- Category: Business success
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