Focus

When he was 12, Steven Spielberg decided to be a movie director. Five years later he visited Universal Studios. He ducked out of the standard tour to find a real movie being made. The 17-year-old buttonholed the head of Universal’s editorial department to tell him about the films he was going to make.

Next day Spielberg dressed in a suit, loaded his dad’s briefcase with two candy bars and a sandwich, and marched boldly through the gate into Universal Studios. He commandeered a deserted trailer, writing “Steven Spielberg, Director” on the door. He became a fixture on the lot, mixing with directors, producers, writers, and editors, sucking in ideas, observing how real directors behaved.

At the age of 20, Spielberg showed Universal a small movie he’d made and won a seven-year contract to direct a television series. Later, of course, he made a string of hits, including ET, one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

Spielberg was focused.

Focus is the secret of all personal power, happiness, and success. Focus means doing less; being less. Focus makes less more. Few people focus, yet focus is easy. Focus expands individuality, the essence of being human.