Most of us have a self-narrative that the world is imposing complexity and distractions into our lives, making us harried, hurried, and anxious. These external factors are making it ‘impossible’ for us to focus, rest, be present in the moment, be creative, experience peace.
95% of you reading this, at least 50% of the time, have significant security, ample food and shelter, and loving relationships.
Yet how difficult is it for us to sit quietly alone? Given a few spare minutes – or if we get bored or frustrated doing something else — we check email or social media. Many of us must have music or the television going. An evening with no other obligations gets filled with web browsing or TV, or both. Maybe it’s become our habit, but our behaviors tell us that our desire for muchness, manyness, and noise is rooted in ourselves.
I encourage you to explore a different self-narrative: “I’m the one craving complexity and distraction. Going after these things will not help in the long run. I can choose to respond to these desires another way.”
