This is a test, only a test
Sit down and get comfy, because today’s post is all about focus. Your mission is watch this 90-second video and follow the instructions therein.
And the Answer is…
How did that go? Not too difficult was it? You just had to focus tightly enough so you could see only what the white team did. In the book, The Open Focus Brain, that’s called narrow, objective focus. It’s the mode we do most of our work - really most of our life - in: We focus on one thing to the exclusion of all else. Pretty soon, we think what’s in our field of vision, or our belief system, is all there is. We’re convinced there are no other options. I don’t know about you, but I had trouble seeing the moonwalking bear the second time too, even though I was focusing on it. I just couldn’t believe it was there. Now, after a little practice, I can’t not see the bear.
How this looks in real life
I was at a wedding over the weekend, and the bride and groom were from wildly different backgrounds. I’ll give you a snapshot of what I mean: She sings opera and teaches classical voice; he’s gone to The Soup and Burning Man from the beginning. Got the picture?
At the reception, a woman both stylishly dressed and tastefully adorned in glittering, real rocks sidled up to another, similarly adorned woman and said in a clubby, confidential tone, “You must be a friend of the bride’s.” To which woman number 2 responded, “Oh no - I met the bride only recently but I’ve known the groom for years. We studied middle eastern frame drumming together.” The conversation faltered and woman number 1 drifted away.
I think she wasn’t ready to see the moonwalking bear. Like me with the video, she couldn’t believe in it.
Practice makes permanent
It seems like magic, but seeing the bear and being able to count the white team’s passes is a matter of practice. To practice expanding your focus so it can encompass more complexity, try “accessing your ignorance” (thanks to Edgar Schein) Instead of going into every situation looking for confirmation of what you know to be so, include what you don’t know in your awareness. Better yet, court it.
Try this
1. Walk up to the people you don’t know in a room and start an awkward conversation based on what you don’t know about them. Ah, c’mon - it’s fun!
2. Talk to the CEO and ask an ignorance-based question. Here’s one that always works, because you can’t know the answer unless you read minds: “What question do you wish someone had asked/would ask you?” You can’t know what question the CEO would love to answer, or wonders about, so it’s an ignorant question, not a stupid one.
3. Watch the video again (and again) and widen your focus so you can see the bear as you count the white team’s passes. It took me three tries to count 13 passes and see the bear’s entire dance. Tensing up to do it didn’t work - I succeeded by relaxing and allowing myself to see it all. It felt great.
4. Your suggestion is welcome - what have you done to shift your focus and see something differently?