To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are. Eric Hoffer
To be aware of a single shortcoming in oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in someone else. Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
"Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator. Answering an ad, he went to the location and entered a large, busy office filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the receptionist's counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were summoned to enter the inner office.
The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven other applicants. After a few minutes, the young man stood up and walked into the inner office. The other applicants wondered what was going on. They muttered among themselves that they hadn't heard any summons yet. They assumed that the young man made a mistake and would be disqualified.
Within a few minutes, however, the employer escorted the young man to the waiting area and said, "Gentlemen, thank you for coming, but the job has just been filled."
The other applicants grumbled, and one spoke up, "Wait a minute, he was the last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got the job. That's not fair!"
The employer said, "I'm sorry, but all the time you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: 'If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.' None of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his." Author Unknown
You may have to read this a few times: "The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds." R. D. Laing
How many times have you heard yourself say something like "I had no idea...." Or I wish I had known.... Or "I must have missed that....."
One of my favorite, thought-provoking movies is Lantana (2001). I love it because every character intertwines with another seemingly unrelated one. Even in the last scene, the jogger from the first scene is in a restaurant with another character. Thus far, I haven't encountered anyone who noticed that.
Far too often, we are so distracted with everyday life, information overload, and things pulling at us, that we often overlook or miss what is going on right in front of us. Sometimes, we are so busy thinking about ourselves that we can't really listen to someone or notice our surroundings.
Repeatedly, I see the same people twice in a day. I was in the Post Office and noticed two women chatting. Then I went to the supermarket (in the next town) and saw those same two women. Once when shopping in one town, I noticed a family walking past me, and about two hours later, waiting at a red light in another town, the family crossed the street right in front of my car.
My interpretation is that when we pay attention, we notice all sorts of things that we might otherwise miss. This leads me to believe that we miss an enormous amount on a regular basis (some of which may be critically important) because we are so distracted or inwardly focused.
From the telegraph story, we can only imagine what is going on in our environment that we miss. Far too often there may be great opportunities, clues to something we need to know in order to make better choices, seemingly chance encounters that we otherwise dismiss.
Knowing oneself may prevent you from doing something you might later regret. Awareness is about where you place attention and can help you:
--make better choices
--feel compassion for another person
--know what is important/ not important for you
INVITATION TO EXPERIMENT
Think about the times when you realized, after the fact, that you missed clear signals.
Set aside a day where you intentionally notice everything around you. See what happens.
If you feel inclined, please let me know if you decide to go ahead and try this experiment. I look forward to hearing about your experiences. Your feedback and comments have been most welcomed:-) Keep them coming!!
Very best regards,
marion@lifecoachinggroup.com
(c) 2004-11. All rights reserved. Marion Franklin, www.lifecoachinggroup.com
Comments? Feedback? lllfeedback@lifecoachinggroup.com
P.S. If you enjoyed this issue, I'd love it if you'd spread the word. Do so by forwarding this to a friend and inviting them to subscribe at the Life's Little Lessons link. Thank you for continuing to read Life's Little Lessons TO READ PAST ISSUES Past Issues (Highly recommended)
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