Years ago, Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons conducted an experiment. They recorded a group of students passing a basketball to each other. People watching the video were asked to count the number of times the players with white shirts passed the basketball.
Viewers were great at counting the number of passes. Their attention was focused on the players and their actions.
However, viewers often missed something.
A man dressed in a gorilla costume walked through the players. He even did a little dance.
It amazed the researchers that someone could miss a gorilla walking through the players. Who would miss that?
About 50% did.
Ignore The Gorilla
The Invisible Gorilla Test demonstrates just how focused we can become when given a task. To miss someone in a gorilla suit moving through a scene seems impossible. But it happened.
What can this teach us?
I want to go in a different direction than most. I want to say that ignoring the gorilla can be beneficial to us.
When we’re not focused on a task, mission, or vision, we can miss out on what we’re trying to do. Many people are distracted by the little and big things. We call that the shiny object syndrome. Every little thing that catches our eye distracts us.
What if we ignored those distractions?
That’s ignoring the gorilla. That’s insane, extreme focus.
When you have that kind of focus, nothing distracts you. You’re able to put your head to the grindstone, stay focused, and get the job done.
When you see the gorilla, you’re distracted. Your eye is off the prize. You’re looking for change. And that change takes you off mission.
We have to learn how to ignore the gorilla. How to stay focused.
How do you do?
How To Ignore The Gorilla
Ignoring the gorilla isn’t easy. I find myself noticing small movements in the distance. If something moves, my head goes with it. I track it and then refocus.
It can be distracting to the person that I’m with. I recognize that. I’m trying to get better at ignoring the gorilla. Here are some things to try:
Focus on the task:
The viewers missed the gorilla because they weren’t looking for a gorilla. They were looking for a specific color shirt to pass the basketball. They had extreme focus.
When we get extreme focus, we zero in on what we’re doing. We don’t look left or right. We look straight ahead.
Define the task and focus on it.
Limit your focus:
When we open ourselves up to a multitude of tasks, we are always looking for things to connect. Yet, when we limit our focus (tasks, mission, vision) to a limited number, we are able to stay on track. We’re not looking for the next thing. We’re looking for one or two things.
Stop looking for something bigger, faster, or cheaper. Focus on what is essential.
Focus Is The Superpower
Focus is the superpower of great leaders. They know there’s more out there. They also know they can’t do or obtain everything.
They realize there’s power in focusing on specifics.
If they can narrow their focus to the right things, the other things don’t matter. Are you willing to narrow your focus so you ignore the gorillas?
