Focus Like a Genius Does
“Focus and simplicity… Once you get there you can move mountains.”
Steve Jobs
Do you play Wordle?
Last summer, I stumbled across the game and have been playing it ever since.
I can always count on a feeling of achievement when I crack the word in under five tries.
Am I a wordle genius or stupendously lucky?
These are the questions I ask myself when I’m bored…🤪
I’m neither, but I’ve experimented and learned something beneficial for not only cracking Wordle but for approaching life stuff.
It goes like this.
One afternoon, I was lying on the couch, feeling meh. I had no desire to scroll social media or read the book I was trying to finish.
I was in a lazy mood. I didn’t care if I solved the puzzle.
The first word I chose was L I G H T. The I was highlighted, but that was it. I was off the mark big time.
That’s when I haphazardly started guessing.
I had one final row to figure out the word before the game was over.
Did I put in the effort or just let it go? I could always try again the next day.
That’s when I decided to concentrate.
I’m a meditator, so I work on concentrating every day.
Narrowing my focus I thought deeply about the words I’d chosen, why I chose them and which letters were highlighted.
I made up my mind to solve the word no matter how long it took.
Photo by Shana Lee Gibson
That’s when I found my secret sauce.
Four simple words gave me the power to solve the game.
I CAN DO IT.
Empowered, I relaxed my mind and let logic and intuition lead me. I tested words in my mind, convinced some part of me already knew the correct word and finally settled on one.
RESIN… Success.
Not a word I’ve ever used, but one that now reminds me to believe in myself and concentrate when I could easily give up.
TAKEAWAY: If we’re distracted, nothing works. We can blame everything outside of us but it always comes back to where our heads are at. Concentration is a power tool many of us forget about. Distraction and mental wandering get so-so results, while focus and concentration are like aiming toward the bullseye. Whether we hit it on the first try or the 400th try is inconsequential; we’ll learn while doing it and succeed in the long run. I wonder if Einstein and Tesla were great inventors because they used the power of focus.
Whatever your traditions, I hope you surround yourself with good people and peaceful places where you lose yourself in the moment.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas :)
Until next year,
Shana Lee
