Qualities: CONCENTRATION

Every instant of our lives is essentially irreplaceable: you must know this in order to concentrate on life. -Andre Gide, 1897

Candor trumps contrition. -Alessandra Stanley, New York Times, February 16, 2006

She blew it. Can't say otherwise. But the better response would be to remember this time, next time, any time, how young athletes can be knuckleheads. Whatever the sport. That doesn't make them bad. It just makes them young.
-Mike Lopresti, Gannett News Service, February 18, 2006

One of the great challenges of life, most difficult to learn, most rewarding to master, is intense concentration at the correct moment. It is to have all your forces ready, to bring them to bear precisely with coordinated power, to thrust aside every other thought and distraction and go for the decisive kill. Most people have no idea what that really means or the ability to do it.
-John Roberts

Last week, two people lost their concentration for just a second, and made a mistake, with shattering consequences: Dick Cheney very nearly killed a dear friend; Lindsey Jacobellis slipped for just a second into hubris and premature joy, and lost her gold medal. Then, both of them failed the instant honesty test. The vice president let the ever-present PR impulse give him an extra day to get the story straight. Not as bad as Ted Kennedy after that fateful swim so long ago, and with more concern for the victim, but not instantly transparent. And, poor Lindsay rapidly went through several versions of denial until forced to accept the obvious. Again, other motives than pure, immediate, without-regard-for-the-consequences honesty. Too bad there is not an Olympic Medal for Honesty. These two good people, whom I admire, would not have made the podium. Neither would I at some earlier testing points I will not forget.

The VP might well have said, almost immediately: Everyone has accidents. I made a serious mistake, an inadvertent slip of concentration that could have changed my life. Every year, tens of thousands get killed in auto accidents; thousands of people die in a variety of other mishaps as a result of sudden little mistakes that explode into tragedy. Let my error serve as a reminder to everyone that we always need to be careful, to be aware of what we are doing and to think about what could happen if we fail to concentrate at every moment. There is always another quail, but not another friend or reputation. A single slip can destroy a life or a dream. But, if it happens, we also need to be accountable, to switch on our honesty and deal with the situation with that singular motive without hesitation. That takes thought and practice to perfect. It's too bad we sometimes have to stare our failures in the face in order to get the message.