Albert Einstein - Focus Needs This

Many things made Albert Einstein a brilliant man. He devoured scientific material. He conducted his own experiments. He connected with other great minds. He may even have had some god-given talents and intellectual ability. But what made Einstein great, or allowed his greatness to flourish, was his ability to focus—that trait the world seems to struggle with.

Einstein's son, Hans Albert, explained on his father’s ability to concentrate, “Even the loudest baby-crying didn’t seem to disturb Father. He could go on with his work impervious to noise.” 

It may seem crazy, even unreasonable, to expect one to be able to work through the noise of a crying baby; to maintain focus and attention to a problem at hand when chaos is going on around them. But there’s a deeper meaning, a deeper insight behind it all. Einstein had a mission, a craft, a job that melted his heart.

From the moment he received a compass as a young boy, he was fascinated by the hidden forces that controlled the universe. And it would become his life’s mission to uncover the workings of the world. 

He loved it. He breathed it. He lived it.

And because the work touched him, Einstein didn’t have to be focused. He didn’t need to be focused. He just was focused.

When something matters that much to you, focus isn’t something that needs to be forced; it becomes a natural part of your day. A need to focus or an inability to focus may be a sign that you’re not doing something that matters to you. Distraction is a sign that something else is more enjoyable than what you should be doing. Therefore, distraction is, or may be, a sign that you aren’t doing something you want to be focused on.

When the work is enjoyable, when the doing is the reward, focus becomes something you are. Something that’s easy to cultivate. Something that just feels natural.

If you're lacking focus, you're lacking a mission that melts your heart.

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