is precious and I have a certain amount of it per day. There are certain things that require my attention and there are others who pay for it.

Then there are those choices I make on what or who to allocate my attention to. Of course my family and my work get the lion’s share of it but in between there is whole lot more then can go around and that is the critical aspect.

Attention being hijacked

I like to say that my attention and people’s in general is getting hijacked because well, it is isn’t?

I mean, the internet is at our fingertips and information can be delivered right to you though watching, reading or listening. Whichever you choose there is something for you and I, regardless of your interests, hobbies, work and relationships. That’s the age we live in. The tricky part is trying to filter out what it’s worth your attention and what is trying to steal it from you for money.

The reason it is so devious in many regards is because your attention is being hijacked when you don’t realize it. This is the part that worries me. When I’m watching a movie, I’ll check or do something in brief intervals on my mobile phone. When I walk my dog I’ll listen to a podcast and whenever there is a moment where I’m idle – traffic, line at the supermarket – BOOM I get hijacked!. I recall a post I wrote titled ‘The hardest task’ and though it was about learning and my students, the words apply here.

Is this good for me?

Absolutely not.

Do I have an itch to scratch to learn more and grow?

Absolutely!

Where is the line?

That might be one of the most pertinent questions in 2022 for me. How to separate and keep that healthy balance so that I don’t feel like every second of every day I need a constant experience/stimulus. I read somewhere that willpower runs out if you use it too much and I know I’ve got a whole lot of it. But that doesn’t matter because it runs out. So, the answer lies I suppose in learning to use it only in the critical times and keep it in reserve so you’re never on empty when it’s really needed.

In other words….

Meditation

I’m testing it out. And so far the results are mediocre if not poor. I just can’t believe how out of control my mind is with thoughts. I find it incredibly difficult to keep it at bay and just focus on the breath. It’s remarkable how my mind just can’t take a breather from thinking. That’s been the revelation so far for me but I know I got a lot of work left to do. The one thing I can say so far is that the first step in anything I do is just about getting started and sticking to it. So that for me is a win.

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