One of the things I hear from so many people is they want to improve their ability to focus. If they just had a distraction free environment, they could get the right things done. Well, I’m writing this from one of those distraction free environments, from one of the booths they have at the airport where you can use it to make video calls and have privacy.

Yesterday was one of those unusually memorable days in my 20+ year career as an author and professional speaker. A company had invited me to speak to their directors and assistant directors at their annual meeting... in Maui! If you have followed me for any length of time, you know I love to travel and see new places. I also love hearing about the travel experiences of others. I had never been to Maui, and I had heard so many positive things about the island.

A few weeks ago I asked my oldest daughter, who is a sophomore at college, what percent of students does she see when she is walking across campus who are engaging with an electronic device. She quickly replied, “At least 85 percent.” Wow!

It was the most incredulous thing I had seen in quite awhile. I kept looking to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. I even rechecked the Diet Coke I was drinking to make sure someone hadn't added something to it. There were at least ten teenage and early twenty-somethings standing and sitting idly nearby... and not ONE of them was texting or staring into a mobile device. They didn't even have one with them! Was this a flashback to the 90's? Was I hallucinating? No. They were lifeguards. And to be successful in their roles, they can't afford to have any distractions.