Focus

 Ever wonder why when you get older you plan ahead, but when you are young you seldom do ? What I mean is,take for example, doing a simple task. When you are young you just do it, but when you are older you plan for it, do it, and then plan with an eye to having to do it again. That is why older people put the rake back in the shed, or clean the paint brush. The older you get the more you seem to plan ahead and the accomplishment of the task is of greater importance. That is why if you have a doctors appointment next week, you don't make any other plans ! C'mon you know older folks like that. If you are of my age you are beginning to get that way yourself. It is just a natural part of aging I suppose. On the surface it may seem counter intuitive. When you get older the odds of having to repeat an action are growing slimmer ! So, why then do we obsess so much about it ? Is it a goal to be reached ? Something to be strived for ?
 This planning ahead, or lack of it, can be an annoyance. That is especially true when you have work after someone that fails to think ahead. It happens to me almost every day at work. The younger guys work after my shift and I come into work to find that situation. Why is this sitting in front of that and why didn't they do this or that ? Sure would have made things a lot easier for everyone concerned. But that is not really true, the truth is it would make things easier for me. It is a natural thing to look for reasons that someone else should have done something when we get annoyed. I generally place the blame on them not thinking or planning ahead. A cavalier approach to the job ! I can often be heard muttering, "kids." With kids, of all ages, what comes next always seems to be a surprise. Even after having done the task a hundred times !
 I'm thinking this is a result of just not having an organized mind. As we gain knowledge we begin to arrange it in some fashion for retrieval. The older you get, the more knowledge, hence the requirement for more organization. Older folks realize that you must isolate the task in order to accomplish the task effectively. If you fail to do that you will find yourself repeating the same task over and over again. So, you see, it's all about focus. Isn't that what the martial arts masters will tell you ? Focus ! What takes years to understand is, focus is not just the task before you, but the whole picture. Focus includes the past,present and future. Focus allows for the most effective use of our time and energy. That is why older folks plan ahead. We are focused. The young would be wise to emulate our actions. Isn't that what you and I say ?
 That explanation seems to be the most reasonable and I will go with that. I would add that the accomplishment of just one task, done correctly, is superior to a bunch of inferior attempts. Quality not quantity. You just can't rush quality work ! That is true whether you are performing the task for another or for yourself. It makes no difference whatsoever. To the young it may look like obsessive behavior and something they just don't understand. The fact is, it is focus that they are witnessing. Ah, kids, they just rush into everything unprepared. Over time they will learn and then marvel at why the young do what they do. As my dad was fond of saying, " do it right or don't do it at all. " Of course what that really meant was you are going to do it right, according to my standards. I never got to just not " do it at all. " Well at least not without paying a price, if you get my meaning. Come to think about it that price tended to increase your focus. Hmm, maybe that is what is wrong with these kids today, things are too cheap.