Focused Like a Laser

Focus is often compared to light. If you’re an energetic person, you give off sixty watts of light all the time. You illuminate any room you’re in with your energy!

However, that same energy could also cut through steel if it was focused properly.

I can certainly vouch for the focused approach to getting things done, and it’s a very useful analogy! Most folks can see what you mean right away: focus allows you to get more things done instead of spraying your energy all around at random.

Like a lot of good analogies, the underlying reality doesn’t quite support the assertions made. As usual, it’s complicated! Let’s take a look at why.

You may already know that laser is a made-up word. It’s an abbreviation for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. This name gives us our first clue that this isn’t simply a focused light bulb. There’s more going on here.

At its core, a laser has what’s called a medium. This can be solid, liquid, or gas, but you need a bunch of atoms that…