“Whenever the heat’s on, my whole life, I’ve just learned to focus a little bit more.”
– Jordan Spieth, professional golfer, who turns 23 on Wednesday
On a day when much of the country will be feeling the heat, literally, a post on dealing with the heat, metaphorically.
“The heat,” is designed to distract us. “Urgent” bumps “important” to the curb and the incessant ringing of the phone or pinging of the e-mail make every attempt to dominate our day. That’s when focus pays exponential dividends.
Great orchestra conductors talk about the “over-powering silence” of that moment before they raise their baton. Great athletes talk about seeing the game unfold in slow motion, only they’re moving in regular speed. The litigator takes a deep breath before launching a killer closing argument to a hostile judge or jury.
Jordan Spieth has an incredible cool about him. So do each of us, in our own setting, when the heat is on — if we’ll seek focus first, the chaos, noise and static fade, and the “game” becomes so clear, we can’t help but win. Finding that ability to focus when the heat is on puts us in a position to make a difference for those who are sweating and fretting the heat.
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