𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗬𝗲𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻

This morning, my daily walk began not with a spring in my step, but a spin in my head. My brain was lost deep into the day’s agenda.

My attention drifted deeper, buried in the fantasy of my mind (and the stress it created).

Lost in this cerebral circus, my hand, still attached to a leash, suddenly recoiled. Izzy, my four-legged guru, had declared an impromptu ‘stop and look around’ break.

And so, I stopped. And then, I looked up.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗬𝗲𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻

That’s when it hit me. The landscape exploded in vibrant green, alive with chirping birds. In my mental maelstrom, I had utterly missed the entire environment.

My awareness had clocked out, leaving my attention to ricochet wildly around the echoing caverns of my mind. It was like living life with a blindfold on, only to discover you were standing in the middle of a parade. (What parade are you missing right now?)

This is the true superpower of an executive: the ability to master your attention. It’s about refusing to sleepwalk through life, absorbed in your own fantastical narratives. It’s about connecting with and actively participating in the vibrant world around you.

𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱
So, when I ask, “Are you an executive?”, I’m not inquiring about your corner office or fancy title. I’m asking about your attention. It takes genuine, genius mastery to be a true executive.

What, then, is an executive? Let’s peek inside the ultimate executive suite: your brain.

There’s a fascinating neurological function dubbed the “executive function.” It’s the brain’s CEO, the strategic genius that allows you to plan, organize, and execute. Your prefrontal cortex (the GENIUS brain), empowers you to manipulate information, control impulses, solve problems, and, most crucially, control your attention.

To be a true executive, then, is to command this GENIUS function of your brain: it all begins with controlling your attention. The ability to direct your focus where you want it, when you want it, is the undeniable hallmark. The good news? It’s a skill you can learn, practice, and evolve into.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗡𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀” 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲
The true executives among us live a “no excuses” lifestyle. It’s the CFO I work with who recognized that he wasn’t a fit in his current organization, but instead of blaming the company, he made bold moves to find greater alignment elsewhere. It’s the CIO who stops reacting to his own self-doubt, recognizing it for what it is (a fleeting thought tied to an emotion), and makes the decision to replace reactivity with empowered decisions.

It’s you, when you stop and realize the fleeting nature of our time on earth. When you pick your head up on the trail and see the abundance all around. When you make decisions, not reactions, but consciously aware decisions to take control of your attention, you put yourself in the driver’s seat of life.

Are you an executive? The choice is yours!