Page 46 - May-June-July Life In Naples
P. 46
DOCTOR’S CORNER
FOCUS
by Allen Weiss, MD, MBA, FACP, FACR “Paying attention, willpower,
President and CEO, NCH Healthcare System and feedback are all three
P aying attention matters. Willpower matters. Feedback attributes necessary for
matters. All three can save your life or at least improve
your life, according to psychologist Daniel Goleman success of any individual
in his most recent book, Focus: The Hidden Driver of
Excellence. ”or organization.
People who excel and are nimble in focusing their attention the time of greatest development for this inner awareness.
thrive. Those who are “out to lunch” or inattentive to their own A classic experiment involving marshmallows was performed
feelings or surroundings typically do not do as well as those who
are in touch with their environment. in the 1970s at Stanford University by psychologist Walter
Mischel. It makes the point about the importance of the early
Smart practices such as mindfulness meditation, focused years.
preparation, recovery from setbacks, continued attention to the
learning curve, and positive emotions and connections add new Preschool 4-year-olds were invited into a room one by one
skills, develop good habits and are able to sustain excellence. by a friendly preschool teacher. The room had no distractions.
The child was asked to sit down at a small table with a tray
All of these good habits are like muscles which strengthen containing one marshmallow. The teacher then said, “You can
when used. When not used, these habits wither away. Using the have your treat now, if you want. But if you don’t eat it until I
term “clueless” is shorthand slang for someone who is not in come back from running an errand, you can have two then.”The
touch with either themselves or the world around them.
Paying attention to ourselves (inner focus) attunes us to how
we think, our personality, our values, and how we make decisions.
Many people believe early childhood from birth to preschool is
46 Life in Naples | May • June • July 2016
