Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans
John Lennon
How many moments are you missing, how many interactions are you not registering or pursuing, how many opportunities are you impervious to?
It’s so easy these days to get stuck in oblivion – we operate so much on autopilot that we get sucked into immersing ourselves with our thoughts, our reality, our phones.
We forget to look up.
I always get reminded of this when I take the Manly ferry over to the city – arguably the best commute in the world. A friend of mine was also recently expressing his amazement at how during this particular trip – which in case you haven’t done it, consists of 18 minutes of stunning scenery, breathtaking views, feeling the ocean beneath you and the heat of the sun above you, being accompanied by the seagulls and sharing the water with an array of other sailboats and vessels. Yet 90% of the passengers will be head down, glued to their phones. It almost seems criminal to not take a moment of gratitude, or even 18 minutes worth, during this trip.
We carry this oblivion into the office and back home to the family too. How often are we not registering problems, negative emotions, stress, conflict, and even those who have just checked out, in advance because we’re failing to look upwards and outwards?
If we could consciously break our pattern of failing to notice, and become aware of what’s going on around us and within the people around us, we’ll not only experience the benefits of reflection and pause for ourselves, but also the benefits of strengthening our observation muscle to get valuable insights into what’s going on with the people in our lives.
The benefits of looking up are both individual (we learn to breathe again, and we can get hit with moments of clarity) and collective – we are far more in tune with what’s going on with our team, peers, bosses, family and friends.
Ricky Martin said:
You never know what will trigger inspiration – you just need to be alert.
Break the autopilot cycle more and enjoy the experience of such triggers.