Loving the Recession 2: The 2,000 Bits (and the Power of Your Attention)

Do you know someone to whom everything is a problem?  Eeyore in the form of a human .... always complaining ... nothing good ever happens to them? (Or if it does, they conveniently ignore it?) What quality of life does that individual have? On the other hand, do you know anyone who, despite adversity, always seems to keep their emotional head above water?  Always sees possibility, opportunity, and hope? Now, the difference between these approaches is hardwired, isn't it? It's just who they are, no? NO! (Emphatically, I say.)  Fact is, you get to choose. It's an exceedingly simple choice, but seldom easy. It takes diligence. And ... you can do it. In my last Biznik article, "<a href="loving-the-recession">Loving the Recession</a>," I suggested a four-question process for creating a powerful sense of opportunity out of this period of economic adversity. It must have hit a nerve. Over 2,000 people have read it. In this piece, I'm drilling down into the immense power -- and competitive advantage -- of simply taking charge of what you're paying attention to. Look at the world one way (through the eye of cable news, for example), and you find hatred, injustice, violence, and misery. Look at it another way and you find love, compassion, joy and fulfillment. Same world; it's just the perspective that's changed. Is either view more "real" than the other? In fact, I'd argue there's way more love in the world than hatred, way more compassion than persecution. The bad stuff makes up the news because the "news," by definition, reports things different from the norm.  What does that say about the norm in human life? In a bizarre little movie a few years ago called "What the Bleep Do We Know?" a physicist said that over the span of any given second, our brains swim in 400 billion bits of information - a mind-boggling flood of sensory data. But over that same second, our conscious awareness can process only 2,000 bits. In other words, what we're literally paying attention to, at any moment, is a drop in the ocean of what's possible - 2,000 out of the 400 billion bits available! Now that explains a lot. It explains why multiple witnesses at a crime scene report very different stories. It explains why "Nights in Rodanthe" makes some cry and others scorn. It explains why Christopher Reeve faced quadriplegia with grace, while others let it destroy them. It explains why one Biznik - and only one - responded to my last article by chiding me about America's role in creating the global recession. That's what Silverio was paying attention to. And yes, Silverio, that's also true. See, your experience of life is quite simply a product of what you pay attention to ... what you direct your awareness toward, in any given second ... the 2,000 bits you choose in every moment. Now some of you are thinking, "I don't have a choice what I pay attention to! The recession ..." (or fill in the blank with whatever negative situation is plaguing you) "is in my face, day after day!" Yes, the recession is part of the 400 billion bits. And to the extent that it's necessary to pay attention to it, by all means do so. You have to pay enough attention to make decisions about how often to go out to dinner, or what to do about marketing, now that cash flow is down. But beyond what's necessary for making sound decisions, you don't have to dwell on the suffering. But, you say, even if I'm not "dwelling" on it, the negative stuff is still going on! Yes, but as long as you're not directing your awareness to it, it won't control you or your experience of life. And studies show clearly that confidence, hope, and optimism breed success. But maybe it feels impossible to stay out of despair. So, practically, how do you create that shift in awareness to focus on the positive and the possible? Here are some practical suggestions. If you do them, they'll help. You can't just read about them. You have to diligently engage in them. Schedule them. Get a good friend to support you in working them into your life, every day. <ul> <li>Simply remind yourself, daily, of the profound, face-slapping fact that what you pay attention to powerfully affects your reality, and that you have the power to choose. For example: <ul> <li>Read books like Eckhart Tolle's The Power Of Now or A New Earth, or Martin Seligman's Learned Optimism, or Martha Beck's The Joy Diet - all of them profound, accessible, and practical. Mark your favorite passages, and read them often.</li> <li>Recite affirmations daily (no, not "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.") Affirmations get bad raps, but they can be immensely powerful - if you believe in them, and only if. An affirmation quite simply is a brief phrase that reminds you of what you know to be true about yourself, or life - even if you don't always act from it. One I'm currently using: "This moment is my life." Well, duh. Obviously. But I don't always act as if that were true. Don't know about you, but I spend a lot of time in the past or future - which I'm pretty sure only exist in my mind.</li> <li>Claim and focus on your core values. With those in hand, claim and focus on your vision for yourself. (Stephen Covey says simply that all peak performers are visualizers.) These are immensely powerful things to "pay attention to." And then, pay attention to the steps necessary to achieve that vision. These ideas were at the core of my last article ("Loving the Recession") and they'll also be at the core of my free Biznik workshop on Wednesday, April 29th (titled, appropriately enough, "<a href="../events/loving-the-recession-the-workshop">Loving the Recession: The Workshop</a>"). </li> </ul> </li> <li>Claim and focus on your core values.  With those in hand, claim and focus on your vision for yourself.  (Stephen Covey says that all peak performers are visualizers.)  These are immensely powerful targets for your "attention."  And then, pay attention to the steps necessary to achieve that vision.  Plan them.</li> <li>Keep a gratitude journal. Every day, if only for two minutes, write down what you're grateful for. It's every bit as real as what you fear. Both make up your life - it's all about what you pay attention to. </li> <li>Every day, do something you love, something that makes you just plain happy. Doesn't matter what (assuming it's ethical and moderately legal), or how long you do it. Dance. Play with a kid or a dog. Write an absurdist email. Read a slut novel. Watch 30 Rock. (Or Third Rock.) You know what makes you happy. Just do it.</li> <li>Every week, spend time with people you truly enjoy </li> <li>Schedule the above items in your calendar.  Don't tell me how busy you are.  I don't expect you to spend six hours a day on these practices.  A few minutes on each to start.  The return on that investment, in how you feel about yourself and your future, will be priceless.</li> </ul> A final word: I wouldn't blame you for objecting to my title - "Loving the Recession." As I said in my last article, I don't mean to trivialize the suffering that's so real for so many. And I want to suggest that you can choose to love anything, without denying the pain involved. This is a time of profound questioning. Love the questions. Reminds me of my absolute favorite quote: "I beg you," writes Rainer Maria Rilke in the amazing compilation "Letters To A Young Poet," "... have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.... The point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday ... you will gradually ... live your way into the answer." 2009-03-31T21:04:55Z

2009-04-01T03:39:01Z

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loving-the-recession-2-the-2000-bits-and-the-power-of-your-attention

2009-04-01T03:38:56Z

2009-04-01T03:39:01Z

You CAN get yourself more focused, more productive, happier, even in these challenging times, by the simple power of your attention. And the competitive advantage in that is stunning. Here’s how …

Loving the Recession 2: The 2,000 Bits (and the Power of Your Attention)

2009-04-16T16:26:23Z