Focus
The Hidden Driver of Excellence
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4.3 • 11 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In Focus, Psychologist and journalist Daniel Goleman, author of the #1 international bestseller Emotional Intelligence, offers a groundbreaking look at today’s scarcest resource and the secret to high performance and fulfillment: attention.
Combining cutting-edge research with practical findings, Focus delves into the science of attention in all its varieties, presenting a long overdue discussion of this little-noticed and under-rated mental asset. In an era of unstoppable distractions, Goleman persuasively argues that now more than ever we must learn to sharpen focus if we are to survive in a complex world.
Goleman boils down attention research into a threesome: inner, other, and outer focus. Drawing on rich case studies from fields as diverse as competitive sports, education, the arts, and business, he shows why high-achievers need all three kinds of focus, and explains how those who rely on Smart Practices—mindfulness meditation, focused preparation and recovery, positive emotions and connections, and mental “prosthetics” that help them improve habits, add new skills, and sustain greatness—excel while others do not.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In the hugely influential Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman argued that a person’s ability to empathise and build meaningful relationships is a more reliable predictor of future success than traditional measures like the IQ test. Goleman’s new book, Focus, examines another underrated life skill: the ability to pay attention. Mining fascinating research from neuroscience and psychology, the former New York Times science writer shows how the ability to focus inward on your thoughts and feelings—as well as outward, on other people and the environment at large—is crucial to emotional and professional well-being. With lively writing, salient quotes from experts as diverse as Yoda and Harvard Business School professor Bill George, and anecdotes about top-tier athletes, creatives, and businesspeople, Focus is an entertaining read. Goleman’s simple tips for strengthening “the cognitive muscle that lets us follow a story, see a task through to the end, learn, or create” are a balm to anyone looking to ward off the scatterbrained quality of life in the digital age.
Customer Reviews
Very informative
A very insightful presentation. A wide array of examples helps us see how focus relates to Goleman’s major area of interest: Emotional Intelligence. Goleman is hopeful about how ideas around focus are being put into action, particularly in schools, and one can be optimistic that they will have an impact.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in popular presentations of social psychology. Goleman writes well, his discussions are ‘focussed’, and easy to read.