ONE THING AT A TIME, PLEASE

Too many of us, too often, want to be someplace else. No
matter what we do, we wish we were doing something else. No
matter how we spend our time or how much we accomplish,
it's "not enough." I've heard that the secret of our age is
that "most people feel inadequate most of the time." In a
world of technology, options and wealth beyond imagination,
why are we so frustrated? I find this very frustrating!
I want to begin by assuring you, whoever you are, that you
are entirely adequate and far above average!
I think of the famous poster of a mischievous toddler with
his head on his hands, and the banner underneath says, "I
must be OK 'cause God don't make no junk!" Trust me, God
"don't make no junk" and you are at least, "OK."
So where does this sense of distraction, stress and
disappointment come from?
For many years I've suspected that the rise in ADD isn't
because more people are born with it or we've gotten better
at diagnosing it. Something else seems to be going on. And
then I made up my own brand new mental health diagnosis,
"Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder."
The conditioning we receive from the world around us
explains a lot!
A clue for me was watching a collection of old television
commercials from the 1960's. They were fond memories…and
they are almost unwatchable! My favorite was a Chevrolet
commercial from the mid-60's. I know some of you are old
enough to remember the jingle, "See the U.S.A. in your
Chevrolet!" The ad follows a convertible along a winding
road. There is no action, no jumping images, no jangled
nerves, just a full minute of a nice car with beautiful
people on a country road. By modern standards, it's
incredibly tedious!
Think about that. I'm told modern commercials spend less
than two seconds before jumping to another visual. No
wonder one long, unbroken 60-second shot is hard to watch!
In the past fifty years our world has sped up, and it is a
metaphor for our lives. We multi-task. We have music or
news on all day long, every place we go--in the car, while
eating or exercising, even going to sleep at night--we are
stimulated by electronic sights and sounds all day long, on
top of our daily tasks of working, cooking meals, paying
bills, running errands and juggling family issues. I
suspect it's too much!
Fortunately, our brains have learned to function in a world
of constant stimulation. I think our brains do this
remarkably well.
But I'm not sure "we" can. Between the mental effort, the
physical strain and the constant distraction, I'm not sure
our bodies and our souls are designed for the demands we
place on ourselves.
And so we feel "inadequate." We are exhausted, frustrated,
rushed, feeling we need to be someplace else, doing
something else or something more, when in fact our bodies
are desperately longing for stillness or even a moment of
silence.
I don't have a quick or simple cure. But I have some
suggestions:
1. Do less. Refuse to believe the illusion that every task,
invitation or project "must" be done. Practice laziness.
Develop the self-discipline to say no and do less.
2. Get more sleep. Studies say most of us are sleep-
deprived and it catches up with us. Take naps. Hammocks are
good.
3. Master silence. Turn off the television, the stereo, the
radio, the phone and the computer. Learn to love the sound
of silence. It will lower your blood pressure and teach you
patience.
4. Love what you do. Treat your work with respect. Give it
the passion it deserves. Become an expert and let your work
express your excellence. Do one thing, and do it well.
5. Be kind to yourself. Eat well. Delight in beauty. Laugh.
Give and get lots of hugs. Play. Spend more time with
people you love. And have more fun.