“The humble listen to their brothers and sisters because they assume they have something to learn. They are open to correction, and they become wiser through it.” ― Fr. Thomas Dubay
Apparently, our attention span is no better than a goldfish.
I suspect it’s going to get worse.
You may think it no big deal, and, in fact, love the idea of being able to switch your attention, but in doing so we’re missing out on so many levels:
relationships
nature
deep work
creativity
listening
and connection with true self.
Even though the brain is an amazing thing, and can adjust to its situation, it’s not healthy for it to be plugged in, constantly.
It’s no wonder we feel so tired.
But you know this, surely?
If you can pull the pin, then, as I starting point, I highly recommend you immerse yourself in silence. If that’s not possible, then you need to get into the habit of restricting your use of your mobile phone and anything else that pulls you out of the present moment.
But breaking a habit is one thing, living your life without technology a very different proposition. Arguably it’s not now possible, but certainly, we need a lot less than we think is the case.
Of course, how you live your life is a matter for you. But if you’re struggling to make sense of your current circumstances, then finding time to think, deeply, is a very good place to start. In that space, you have to weigh in the balance the short term pain of letting go of the feel-good, distraction factor (or guilt!) and set it against the long-term benefit of answering those ‘life & death’ questions that continue to snap at your heels.
I call this process self-enquiry — Who am I? etc. — but even if that feels a bit deep, you’ll still gain tremendous benefit if you’re able to sit back and ask yourself what’s really going on.
I accept that you might get some help from your network, but in the end, you’re the only person who can help…you.
Photo by JR Korpa on Unsplash
If you’re interested, I record a daily micro.podcast and a longer monologue where I explore in greater detail some of the issues in this post.
If you’d like to know more about my work and how I can help, please feel free to check out the archive and my services page. At the moment, I’m able to take on a few more coaching clients, and if you’re interested all you need do is email me or telephone using the details on my contact page.
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