The Blog

Please stop distracting me from my distraction it’s so distracting!

Sound familiar?  We are a society of distracted people.  With the house, the kids, the yard, the job, the friends, the bombardment of daily information, twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google plus!  (deep inhale)  Who could possibly have time to think about this moment?

And what of this moment?  Who cares about this moment I’ve got deadlines to meet, goals to obtain not to mention tomorrow and next week to plan for!  Out of my way!  Is this a great life or what?  If it is then why do we dismiss each moment believing that the next and the next and the next will be better than this one? Maybe it’s because we believe this moment is of little value and that makes us all very uncomfortable. No wonder numbing out has become the new norm!

The Archives of Internal Medicine recently reported that people taking prescription painkillers without a medical reason increased 75 percent from 2002 to 2010.  The Center for disease control stated that every hour a baby born addicted to painkillers because of their mothers addiction.  We are a numbed out nation.  We are distracted by our distractions.

What’s the cost? Bigger than we realize. Distractions become addictions.  Addictions are ways of coping that take us out of the current moment and relieve our feelings of discomfort even if it is only momentary.  But it costs us big time!

Distractions and addictions rob us of our passion, our authenticity and our creativity. We are controlled by outside influences without the ability to hear and feel our internal compass, that still small voice or connection to our power source.  In this state of disconnect you can now see why the world is stuck, confused and afraid.

The world is not going to slow down and technology will continue to evolve and seduce us into faster and faster ways to perform in business and our personal lives. So what is the solution?  Awareness. Simple (not easy) awareness of our lives.  Awareness is the attention we put on what we are doing and being in the moment. It’s the experience of the moment.  Awareness, mindfulness, present moment all are words that describe the experience NOT the hypnotic robotic auto pilot string of  moments.  When we are in the moment we slow down time, we FEEL our lives and we become human beings instead of just human doings.

When we are aware of how our feet touch the ground, how water feels as it cleanses our hands or how the car rides along the street,  then we are able to have a new and integrative experience of of life.  We feel in control, we are fulfilled and we let go of seeking that which we can never find.

To start implementing awareness into your life try this simple exercise for one week.

1. As you breath in feel your breath.  Feel the air as it enters your nose moves down the throat and into the lungs. Feel the lungs expand.  As you breath in say these words “In this moment.”
2. As you exhale feel your lungs let go and push the air out through the nostrils.  Feel the lungs contract and let go. As you exhale say these words “I feel my life.”

The pay off for becoming aware is a sense of confidence, courage and clarity. When there is no need to distract because this moment isn’t good enough, an endless source of creativity, energy and innovation emerge.  Your life will take on richer meaning and fears will step aside as you are inspired to participate in life instead of hold on for dear life!  Awareness is the key to overcoming distractions and addictions, but you have to decide if you are ready and willing to Wake Up, Stand Up and Snap Out of It!