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WWW.CHANGINGL ANESDIGITAL .COM APRIL | CHANGING L ANES 6 in the Invisible Gorilla Experiment. When the experiment's participants were told to watch a video and given a goal to count how many times a basketball was passed around, they became so narrowly focused on the ball that they failed to see a man dressed in a gorilla suit stroll casu- ally among the players and dance in the middle of the court. While a goal is an effective attention narrower, there's a risk of suffering tunnel vision and missing out on more rewarding opportunities. Always employ your practi- cal wisdom. Take it slow. When you think, read, or observe your surroundings slowly, your attention narrows. You'll spend more time homing in on and examining the objects in your environment that catch your invol- untary attention and use your voluntary attention to ponder and analyze single words and sentences within a large piece of literature. Broaden Your Focus Stay optimistic. Research has shown that positive emotions give us a more open attention. When we're optimistic, we're relaxed and thus more likely to see new connections and opportunities. This is one reason why it's so important that leaders remain upbeat; a sense of realistic opti- mism is essential in crafting and maintain- ing a strategic big-picture vision. Focus on others. Another way to broaden your attention is to shift your fo- cus from yourself and onto others. Studies show that being "other directed" or think- ing in terms of "we" and not "me" opens up attention. The best way to make that shift is to simply help another person with a problem. You can also try doing some "compassionate meditation." Scan. When we quickly scan our envi- ronment (or even a book), our attention widens in order to take in as much infor- Health Tips Continued 42 www.jobsfor teams.com JOBS for TEAMS | mation as possible, which in turn allows us to get a quick and dirty overview of the situation or text. Gather contrary evidence. Once we decide that someone has an inherent flaw and we label them with it – they're stupid, crazy, useless, selfish, immature, bitchy, evil, lazy, etc. – a narrow focus tends to set in. You experience the Velcro/Teflon effect: you notice everything the person does that confirms your conclusion, but overlook any conflicting evidence. If you find yourself only being able to see a loved one through the lens of a neg- ative label, it can help to actively look for things they do that run contrary to it, and even write those things down. While lists can narrow your focus in some cases, they can also be used to produce a broader, more balanced picture in others. Think for example of keeping a gratitude journal; if you find yourself narrowly attuned to what's wrong with your life, making a list of the good things can greatly broaden your perspective. Conclusion If you want to win the war on distrac- tion and build an empire of personal progress, you need to be a wise supreme commander that knows how to best uti- lize his units. Sometimes you want to send one type of your attention to the front- lines, and sometimes you want to send another to the rear for rest. By deftly ma- neuvering your resources and effectively deploying your troops, you can make the most of your invaluable attention. Of course the pure strength of your fighting force matters greatly too. Single- minded focus may be only one element of your attention, but it's still vital one. But since this article has been so long and meaty, and your voluntary attention is now all tuckered out, it's time to let it get a hot meal and a shower. For instruc- tions on how to strengthen your powers of concentration, return to this magazine next month.> JobsForTeams 0614_HealthHelp.indd 6 5/6/14 4:36 PM