So, I hope it was the title that brought you into this article. Welcome!
This topic has been on my mind lately as I am preparing for a Tedx Talk audition and formulating my position on the theme the ‘Future of our Future.’
Sure we have lots to look forward to in our futures when it comes to technology, food sourcing, healthcare, space, and more. But all of that is a process of our evolution from our external environments, outside of our selves.
What about our own personal evolution? That question is where this article title came from. It’s about the misappropriation of our time seeking our ideal lives from outside of ourselves [what I call being highly ‘externally driven’].
I mean, just look at the stats from ONE social media platform:
– Total number of Facebook daily active users – 936 Million [updated 4/22/15]
– Time spent on Facebook per adult user per day: 39 min. [9/2014]
– Drivers who admit to checking facebook while operating their vehicle: 27%
– Etc….
What are we doing there? Connecting, right? Wrong. Mostly, being a social voyeur, truth be told.
With all this time and energy ‘voyeuring’ what are we actually getting out of it? Mostly generating negative narratives in our minds about how other’s lives are better than our own. Developing feelings of inadequacy. Managing urges to create content and post, just to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Or simply wasting our time away on mindless mush.
But wait. What if we were to commit to just ONE thing, like ‘minding our own business’ for at least 39 minutes a day?
What if we took that time or refocused that urge to take stock into who WE are and what we are BEING vs. who or what OTHERS are doing?
What if we worked on our own self-actualization, doing what we love, being who we know we can be when we are at our best self?
Hmmmm. Well, if you ask me, I would assume (my theory) the human race would collectively evolve faster in six months than we have over the past 200 years. That we would advance as fast as technology seems to be. You’d be launching ‘YOU 2.0’ or even 3.0 before the year’s end. Interesting to think about, eh?
What would the next evolution of YOU look like, be like, act like, react like, converse like, buy like, relax like, play like, love like, share like?
Ya gotta wonder. It would have to change the way the world ‘feels’ like right now, wouldn’t ya say?
So, next time you have that urge to check on what the 7.13 billion people on this earth might be doing on Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn or any of the other plethora of social media sights; I challenge you to step away from the mouse or phone and sit quietly for a moment [or 39 minutes] and contemplate YOU. Where are you now vs. where you want to be in your heart, your mind, your physical space, your well-being, your community, your family, and your relationships. Then, make a plan to activate those ideas, put in place personal standards that enable you to up-level your experiences to align with what you are wanting to become.
I might make it sound easy…I know it’s not that simple…but is it worth a try?
That’s all I am asking. Cheers.
