FOCUS

Why Less Can Lead to More.

Focus is a word that gets used often, but rarely examined properly.

In my years working within schools and educational institutions across South Africa, one pattern has become impossible to ignore. Our children are busy. Constantly busy. Academics during the day, homework at night, tests, exams, projects. On top of that, sport, culture, community work, leadership programmes, and enrichment activities. Full diaries. Little space.

It looks productive on paper. In reality, it often feels like running on a treadmill. A lot of movement. Very little progress.

There is a quiet assumption in our system that more is better. More subjects. More activities. More exposure. Yet the outcomes suggest something different. I would rather see children doing less, with intention, depth, and clarity – and achieving more meaningful results as a consequence.

There’s a reason families with the means to do so invest in personalised tutors and tailored education. Not because they want to isolate their children from the world, but because they understand something fundamental: progress accelerates when learning aligns with aptitude, interest, and direction.

You may have heard the argument that modern education systems were shaped during the Industrial Revolution – designed to educate the masses just enough to function efficiently in factories. Basic literacy. Basic numeracy. Standardisation over individuality. Others offer a more critical perspective: keep people busy, tired, and fragmented, and there’s little energy left for creativity, questioning, or meaningful contribution.

Whichever lens you choose, the outcome is the same. We’ve built a system that produces average generalists, not exceptional specialists.

Now contrast that with the examples we celebrate.

Simone Biles is the most decorated female gymnast in history. We don’t know her for her versatility across ten disciplines. We know her for her devotion to one craft.

Serena and Venus Williams focused relentlessly on tennis from a young age and dominated the sport for decades.

Lionel Messi. Tiger Woods. Lewis Hamilton.

The pattern repeats across disciplines. In academia, Nobel Prize winners didn’t dabble broadly. They went deep. In business, in the military, in the arts – excellence follows focus.

So the question becomes uncomfortable but necessary:Why doesn’t our education system identify interests, talent, and inclination earlier and guide development accordingly?

Instead, we teach young people how to be average at many things. A small number break through despite the system, not because of it. Those exceptions are often celebrated as proof that the system works, when in truth they are anomalies.

So where does dance fit into this?

Not everyone wants to be an exceptional dancer – and that’s perfectly valid. Dance can be movement, release, joy, expression, community. It can be physical exercise or emotional release. It can simply be fun.

But clarity matters.

If your intention is to be very good at something – whether that’s dance, music, sport, or any craft – then focus is non-negotiable. You cannot scatter your attention and expect mastery to emerge.

Less becomes more when you choose depth over distraction.

Study the craft. Watch it. Read about it. Experience it live. Train consistently. Do the mundane basics. Repeat. Then repeat again.

Luciano Pavarotti, one of the greatest opera singers of all time, was once asked why he trained his voice with such intensity. His response was striking. He said he was not dedicated – he was devoted. He felt a responsibility to the art form itself, something larger than his own ego. His work was in service of the craft.

That mindset changes everything.

If you decide to pursue dance seriously, devotion is required. That means making deliberate choices. Finding the right environment. The right studio. The right community. The right people. Removing what distracts you from where you are trying to go.

This is the art of elimination. It is not easy. It requires honesty. It requires resolve. It requires the courage to say no to good things in order to say yes to the right thing.

When you move towards a clear target with sustained focus, something powerful happens. Even when outcomes remain uncertain, the person you become in pursuit of that goal is stronger, more disciplined, more grounded.

That transformation is never wasted.

So don’t dabble in dance.If you choose it, be devoted to it.

FOCUS.