[Ailist] Lost in the Crowd - NYTimes.com (power of attention

[Bruce Elkin]

> Excerpt from David Brooks column:
> 
> Most successful people also have a phenomenal ability to consciously
> focus their attention. We know from experiments with subjects as
> diverse as obsessive-compulsive disorder sufferers and Buddhist monks
> that people who can self-consciously focus attention have the power
> to rewire their brains.
> 
> Control of attention is the ultimate individual power. People who can
> do that are not prisoners of the stimuli around them. They can choose
> from the patterns in the world and lengthen their time horizons. This
> individual power leads to others. It leads to self-control, the
> ability to formulate strategies in order to resist impulses. If
> forced to choose, we would all rather our children be poor with self-
> control than rich without it.
> 
> 
> Rest here:
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/opinion/16brooks.html?_r=1
> 
> Stephanie

Hi Stephanie, allŠ
Interesting article, but there¹s a discrepancy between what Brooks says
Gladwell says and what Gladwell says when I¹ve seen him on TV and youtube.

He touts the 10,000 hours to mastery idea, the notion that experts in any
field have put in 10,000 hours of practice. This would square with Brook¹s
idea of control of attention: to practice 3 hours a day for 10 years, you¹ve
got to have excellent control of attention.

I haven¹t read Outliers yet, but have it on order.  Perhaps those of you who
have read can tell me if Brooks is just purposefully overlooking the 10,000
hours notion, or maybe he didn¹t get that far in the book before he wrote
his column.  Or maybe Gladwell doesn¹t talk about it in the book?  He sure
does on TV.

For a short interview with Gladwell, see the youtube video that¹s on my
10,000 Hours: The Awesome Power of Passion, Persistence, and Practice at

> http://hubpages.com/hub/10-000-Hours--The-Awesome-Power-of-Practice

I¹m really looking forward to reading Outliers and seeing for myself if
there is a discrepancy.  Also interested in your take.

Cheers!
Bruce
*********************************************************************
BRUCE ELKIN: Helping You Create What Matters Most!
 20+ Years   -   Clients on 6 Continents   -   Author of 3 Books &
   The Forthcoming Simplicity, Success & Sustainability
   
     Tell me, what will you do
                with your one wild and precious life?
                                                    - Mary Oliver
Get My Fr.ee e-Newsletter at
      http://www.bruceelkin.com/newsletter.html
Phone: 250.388.7210   Web: http://www.BruceElkin.com
Blog: http://createwhatmattersmost.blogspot.com
*******************************************************************