I shared this photo on twitter the other day, and I have been thinking about it ever since:
this is my new favorite photo of all time pic.twitter.com/v8Qs6TeXZf
— Wayne Dahlberg (@waynedahlberg) September 26, 2015
The lady in the above photo understands just how important it is to take in her surroundings. She’s not letting anything get in between her and that specific point in time. We can all definitely learn something about focusing on the moment from her simple actions. Can putting down our phones make a difference? Absolutely.
Can putting down our phones make a difference? Absolutely. Share on X
I was challenged by this photo when I first saw it, because too many times I view moments through a lens, rather than through my eyes. My hope is to look back on that moment I am trying to capture, but doing so causes me to miss out on truly living in it. Of course, I’m not saying that taking photos is a bad thing, but we must learn to take in the daily lives we each live.
We must learn to take in the daily lives we each live. Share on XYes, my phone can get in the way of life’s best moments if I allow it to, whether I am trying to take a photo, or I am busy talking on it, or simply putting notes into it. My biggest distraction in life has been my phone, but I have now become intentional about not getting on it within the first hour of my day, and doing so has increased my focus for the day ahead. I also don’t pull it out of my pocket while talking to people, unless we are putting a date to meet in our phones. Why? Because focus requires intentionality, and if there’s anything we need to be more intentional with, it is removing barriers between the day ahead of us, and the people around us.
If there's anything we need to be more intentional with, it's the people around us. Share on X
You are absolutely on target, Adam! The need to focus, to be engaged and to engage others in our life, work, etc – and put down the phone – is very difficult to convey, especially to young adults (My profession is training adults). I think back to even when texting became the norm – instead of calling. When I asked a young man why this generation preferred it, he explained because it made social interaction unnecessary, as there was only time for texting’s bottom line. Therefore, my conclusion became that we now had a generation who was disconnected from what was really important – relationships. Thank you, Adam, for letting me see that some still realize the value of impacting their world by being in the now.