These days, December has turned into a countdown to Christmas! Time for those of us who sell ‘things’ to jump on the ‘great idea for Christmas’ roller coaster. When this enjoyable article arrived from Philip E. Humbert I thought it was a good reality check for us all to talk about the Christmas of the past and to put the coming Christmas into perspective.
Evolution in the Age of Distraction
Written & Published by Philip E. Humbert, PhD
Visit his website at: www.philiphumbert.com
This week, I read about Christmas celebrations a hundred years ago, at the turn of the last century. Back then, most families lived on farms or in small towns and Christmas was a much bigger event, but also a much quieter event than it is today.
I thought about my Grandfather talking about how much he looked forward to getting an orange “all the way from Florida!” each Christmas. It arrived on a special train and his parents saved up so they could buy an orange for each child’s stocking on Christmas morning. I remember how his eyes lit up at the memory and I think it was every bit as exciting as getting a new iPad or Xbox today.
As often happens, that got me pondering. It occurred to me that for thousands of years, humans lived in a very quiet world. For most of human history, music happened only when someone sang around the fireplace. Entertainment was watching the children act out a play or listening to an old-timer tell some tall tales.
Through all that history, humans evolved in large part because they were intensely curious and quickly seized on anything new or different. Because of our attraction to “bright shiny objects,” humans discovered new things and began to explore our world. Because our brain automatically notices and wants to pick up and play with anything that is new or interesting, we invented stuff and life got better.
Slowly, we learned to master our world, we observed nature and learned to fish and farm, to breed animals and feed ourselves. We began to invent tools that made life better and more comfortable. Eventually, we even invented musical instruments and then orchestras so we could all sing and dance. Then, one day, some particularly bright and curious guy invented the phonograph and parents have been telling their teenagers to “turn that thing down!” ever since.
Life as we know it was invented by our curiosity and natural attraction to bright, shiny objects!
For thousands of years, the part of our brain that wants to grab hold of things, play with them, and “have one of my own” has served us well. Back when our world was mostly silent and very drab, when life was dull and (too often) painfully short, curiosity made progress possible. Good for us!
But what about today? Today we live with dozens of television channels, hundreds of radio stations, thousands of songs on our personal play-lists, and billions of websites. Our homes are filled with thousands of bright, shiny objects, from tools and toys, to laundry that needs done and dishes that need washing. How may papers and projects are stacked on your desk as you read this? How many emails are in your inbox? How many errands and tasks do you “have to” complete this week?
Get the picture? Once, our natural curiosity and desire for variety served us very well. It made life better. I’m not sure that’s true today.
Today, we are flooded with distractions. We live in the age of constant distraction! We feel pressure to have and do so many things! We “have to” track the news, run errands, answer our email, shuttle the kids to school and home again. We “have to” cope with never-ending demands for our attention.
This is not your Grandfather’s world!
The evolutionary part of our brain that made our world possible may be sabotaging us. Once, being the first person in your family to read and write, or being the first to understand the Industrial Revolution and build a mill or factory made you rich, but today being attracted by all the bright, shiny objects in our world can drive us crazy!
Today, the challenge is to focus on a few things and stick with them. Today, success is about being able to choose wisely, make commitments and avoid distraction. In the past, being attracted to shiny new objects helped us make progress. But in the Age of Distraction, our desire for all the “new and improved” things around us undermines our peace of mind, our focus, our productivity and ultimately, our achievement.
In the Age of Distraction, the key to success is being able to resist the evolutionary desire to grab hold of every new thing. This is hard and goes against our natural tendencies. It takes determination and uncommon discipline to simplify life, to choose one or two priorities and stick with them. High achievers know this! So should you.
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