Ep. 31 Distractions
Hello hello &
Welcome back WITHOUT A DOUBT, the podcast where we celebrate living life authentically and organically as ourselves. We are the ones who believe in creating our own paths and living our truths out loud. Join in on honest and open conversation about self-discovery and growth.
Im ya girl Mad, your host, im a freelance entrepreneur, a thirty something year old human that has never exactly done what was expected of me. Im a sprinkle of reality, glimmer of sunshine, & as unfiltered as they come. Im here to remind you that its okay to do life different . That you don’t have to be what is expected of you.. and that your happiness matters.
Earlier this week I was driving benji, my 100 lb husky retriever, over to my moms, thats where we go for walks….. I saw a little boy on his bike after school. And he was on his phone. Reading typing texting idk what her was doing, but he was doing this while crossing the street, and a car was turning head on to him. He didn’t realize as he was on his phone.. and then all of a sudden he just like turned the handle bars wrong and fell off his bike into the road. Luckily the driver wasn’t distracted and stopped and asked the boy if he was ok… all while his phone was safely in hand. He wouldn’t have fallen off his bike had he not been on his phone. What had maybe happened if the driver was on their phone? She may have run over the little texting biker who fell. All was fine, he got back on his bike and rode home, but it made me thought… this little shit of a kid is so distracted just riding his bike. And how so many of us are just constantly distracted. Literally and figuratively.
I have my days where the tabs in my brain are all open, all 50000 of them, and I can’t get it together. Ill blame my undiagnosed adhd for the lack of concentration on these days, but I also find myself leaving my phone places, not getting done what I need, and I know its due to exterior distractions.
Recently I saw a content creator talking about how in order to have more views and watch time on your videos they have to switch every 3 seconds because us humans have been so conditioned through social media and ads and commercials. That we bore easier and we have the attention span of a goldfish.. and I agree. If you watch tv on the couch, how often are are also scrolling your phone? For me.. it happens often. I feel like I struggle to just sit and watch tv. So I need An activity while im TVing. Call it adhd, call it being efficient, call it multitasking, I think we are just in need of being distracted or being entertained.
Most times we are doing 2 things at one time. At the time of writing this outline im listening to music, and typing up this outline for this episode. Meanwhile in the back of my mind im thinking about the thrift haul I need to to edit and upload, the social media content for this podcast I haven’t done, the chili that needs to go in the crockpot, and when the fuck is the inspector for my condo going to be here.. also im waiting for a lady to pick up a chair she wants to buy from Facebook marketplace.
How often do you just go for a walk without your headphones? we walk and listen to podcasts, workout and listen to music, very rarely are we just with our own thoughts? Is this a method we use to drown our the noise or is this just a way to distract us from the reality were living in this moment? Or do we need to to be entertained? Nature makes its own music. There are birds and leaves that rustle.. and we miss this so much because we have our headphones in. I also find so many more people find it acceptable to wear AirPods like 24/7 and that can’t be healthy. But its like something’s always playing in your ear. So much noise.
How many times have you driven home from work and you dont even turn on the radio or remember how you got home? what was going on in your mind? Its the processing of the day, we are distracted from driving. We are on auto pilot.
I know for a fact that often I too am distracted, I am guilty of this. Not just in driving but in my daily activities. yet still going and doing and moving and living.
We need to slow down. We need to close the tabs. We need to get into the present.
As a yogi, an out of practice yogi, I know the true feeling of present moment. When I can focus on the now, the breathing, my movement. Nothing else. Just the heart beat, my fingers reached out.. and maybe this is why I do enjoy yoga. Guided heated yoga.. but in most times I can get out of my mind and into my practice. Its a meditated movement only YOU or as im saying, I KNOW im totally in the vibe of.
I enjoy reading because I can physically hold and book and get into the book. Well sometimes if its good… currently reading two.. Amy Poehlers YES PLEASE and Colleen HOOvers Confess.. and I allows me to get into the moment. Slow down. And take time for me. Present time is the now time that we won’t get back. This is how I get into present mode, so maybe you can think of something you do like meditate, gym, walk, journal, run. doodle, craft… we all have things we do that bring us back aka ground us in present moment. Where you find gratitude for the now.
Why can’t we bring this into every part of our daily moments? I think its because we are human. The universe has a pull that we can’t control, but then we also live in modern times where its our responsibility to be more present in order to find the gratitude.
Last Wednesday I went over to the southwest part of Florida, had no cell reception and it was fucking amazing. I hate being available to people because we all know our cell phones are in our hands. We all know its accessible to get to the people you need, hell some of you even want to be tracked or let your friends track you or think you deserve to know where your friend is 24/7. Yeah no. But it was bliss. Why? Because my phone couldn’t get the messages. I was allowed to disconnect because I had to. It allowed me to focus on the things we were doing that day, connecting to nature, myself, & find some fresh air. Im not saying, distractions here aren’t possible, but without technology it was easier to be in the moment. This allowed me to take in the beauty of the cypress tress, see the turtles on the logs, see the 1000s of butterflies, the owl blending into the tree, even enjoy the beauty of the algae glistening in the sun under the water.
More times than not I find people are so unaware out and about at the stores. I feel like people are walking zombies some places, but I really do believe people are just so distracted. Its hard to be a happy human when your brain and life is always go go go go go. Its also hard to live in the moment when youre constantly trying to catch up with the next trend. I used to get annoyed if someone couldn’t hold a door if they were in front of me, but I just go with the idea that their mind is over flowing with thoughts and distractions that they dont even see me. I also live in a heavily populated suburban south Florida area, where the rat race never ends. I dont think this gives you an excuse to not hold the door, however ive learned I also can only control what I can control, and thats me being aware and not distracted.
What is distracting us though? Its the idea of not being where we want to be. were living in the either the past or the future, instead of the present.
I find that so often the journey is the part we are craving, versus the end goal, because what happens when you get there. Are you so distracted with the end goal that youre missing the best part? the journey. At the point you get what you want you’ll still be talking about the journey the experiences and thinking about the past so often disrupting our present moment. Then crushing the success of making it by whirling in our brains what if, what next, instead of savoring NOW.
This leads me here… our journey is the best part. Each milestone we hit is a ledge were able to see more from. Dont get so caught up in the distractions of everyday, the distractions of what if, or how, or when, that youre not seeing all the beauty life has to offer right in front of you. We need to wake up. Hone In on the moments that are mattering right now that are shaping and rounding us into where and who we are meant to be. But you gotta lock in.
Keep walking and podcasting, doing two things at once, after all.. we are human as we are capable of this.. but make sure youre not missing all the little things.
Lastly, you are without a doubt a badass… dont you forget it.
Xo, ya girl mad.