Is the online world sucking the magic out of us?
How do we live a life incorporating the best technology has to offer without becoming swallowed up by it?
We all need to renew ourselves and unplug from our technology from time to time, just as we take a break from normal life to go on a holiday.
It seems we spend more time planning vacations than our own lives, which is why I believe it's crucial to regularly take a pause to reassess where we are heading, to make sure we are living on purpose and not lose sight of our deepest intentions, or what I call our DNA.
A sacred pause is a form of alchemy that turns success and hard work into happiness and contentment.
Change is inevitable- transformation is a choice
The truth is, life is always changing, events and people are always in a state of flux, and that has never been more evident than in the new digital reality.
People have become so overwhelmed by all of it that they are losing track of what's really important as they become swept away by the rapid and relentless march of technology, which continually reminds us we are not enough, or that we are missing something which can be found in the latest app.
It keeps us on a treadmill of life, which no off button.
There are 4 pillars of personal development that I have found to be very effective for creating mental resilience. I consider them powerful antidotes to the treadmill.
Insight (Clarity)
Self-Awareness (Emotional Contentment)
Perspective (Flexible Thinking Styles)
Mindfulness (Mastering Focused and Open Attention)
Sadly, these are not skills we were taught in school, and many people tell me they are just too busy to explore themselves or their life. They are always putting themselves on hold.
Somehow our society has convinced us this self-enquiry is a luxury rather than a necessity.
It's like saying I'm too busy holding my breath right now to find time to breathe.
We need to learn how to listen to ourselves again and begin to trust the voice inside us, which is always whispering directions, the directions we so often ignore.
Reading the signs
Is there a sign you are ignoring right in front of you? Often solutions and game-changers are so glaringly obvious, they hide in plain sight.
We are so busy looking for complicated solutions we miss the extraordinary first principle. (we've been programmed that complicated is better, they still can't make a simple TV remote your grandmother can use)
The first principle in designing a solution to any problem is simplicity in design and elegance in execution.
As simple as possible, but not simpler than that as Albert Einstein once said.
What I notice is people often work really hard at something, but the harder they try the more complicated life seems to become and it gets more complicated with every step, so it turns into this weird feedback loop where the harder they work, the farther they move away from themselves.
It's why people show up on my doorstep burned out and frustrated and wondering what's going wrong, in spite of what they were told was the proven track to success.
If you want less struggle, keep your eye on the really important things in life, then ask yourself - is it time to hit the pause button, get back to first principles, and redesign some lifestyle choices from the ground up? Is it time to learn how to get back into the flow of life again?
We can always choose to thrive by using the present moment as our true point of power, making our plan from that empowering place, choosing to focus on what is essential, and unplugging from the false assumption that we can "overwhelm and busy ourselves to death " in the quest to build a life that matters to us. We can't.
Please feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
I’m David, a Vancouver life coach and mindfulness teacher.
I create personalized coaching programs for my clients, designed to encourage, inspire, challenge and delight you.
People flourish.
Problems get solved.
Opportunities & goals come to life.
If this appeals to you, book a complimentary discovery session.