This morning, my daily walk began not with a spring in my step, but a spin in my head. My brain was lost in the day’s agenda, buried deep in a swirl of imagined scenarios and stress.
Then Izzy, my four-legged guru, yanked the leash and called for an impromptu stop-and-look-around break.
So I stopped. And I looked up.
The Obvious, Yet Unseen
The landscape around me had exploded in vibrant green, alive with the chatter of birds. Yet in my mental maelstrom, I had missed it all. My awareness had clocked out, leaving my attention ricocheting inside the echo chamber of my own mind.
It was like standing in the middle of a parade with a blindfold on. (What parade might you be missing right now?)
This is the true superpower of an executive: the ability to master your attention. Not sleepwalking through life, lost in your own narrative, but choosing to connect with and engage the vibrant world around you.
Beyond the Business Card
When I ask, “Are you an executive?” I’m not asking about your corner office or title. I’m asking about your attention. True executives are those who can command their focus, directing it where it matters most.
Inside your head lives the ultimate executive suite: your prefrontal cortex. This “executive function” is the brain’s CEO. It allows you to plan, organize, solve problems, regulate impulses, and most importantly—control your attention.
To be a true executive is to master this genius function. And the good news? It’s a skill anyone can learn, practice, and evolve.
The “No Excuses” Lifestyle
True executives live without excuses.
It’s the CFO who realized he wasn’t aligned with his organization—and instead of blaming the company, took bold steps to find a better fit.
It’s the CIO who recognized his self-doubt as nothing more than a fleeting thought tied to an emotion—and chose empowerment over reactivity.
It’s you, when you stop and see the fleeting nature of life, lift your head from the trail, and notice the abundance surrounding you.
When you choose awareness over autopilot, decisions over reactions, you step into the driver’s seat of your life.
So I’ll ask again: Are you an executive?
The choice is yours.