Stolen attention, stolen time. An idea popped into my head. I thought to myself, “It would be great if…”, then I told myself, “Stop thinking, just do it”. (A bias for action is supposed to be one of the secret sauces of success.) And then I lost track of time, and my idea was stolen from me. Let me tell you how it happened.
As I opened WhatsApp, a notification caught my attention. I got sucked into responding to a message and got drawn into a rabbit hole. The downward spiral had begun, reply, reply, video link, YouTube, and then I was reeling away. By the time I surfaced, it was gone. My idea vanished like a cloud in the sky, there one minute and gone the next. My focus was lost. What was the message? Who was it to be sent to? Stolen from me. Where attention goes, energy flows. And in this case, my energy got sucked away from what I wanted to focus on.
This is not the first time that I have picked up my phone to send a message to someone (I cannot remember who) about something important (I cannot remember what). It still bothers me that I just cannot remember what I wanted to do when I got the urge to reach out. I tell myself it must not have been that important, or else by now it would have come back to me. Maybe I’m right, or maybe my life has changed in ways I cannot imagine because I lost my attention in that moment.
Rewind to 1996. As a freshly minted MBA, I picked up my work life, chose a role in Chennai, and wanted to do something, but suddenly found myself in another city, doing something completely different. I picked up a career, got sucked into it, and when I looked up, I was married and my son was grown up and gone from my everyday life. I was young, and then suddenly I was not so young. How many moments of stolen attention (big and small) happened when he needed or wanted me around?
I walked past a tennis court this morning and felt an urge to play again. I ask myself, “Will I know when I do something for the last time, that it’s the last time I will be doing it?” I think back to my last set of tennis, and I dearly hope to get back on the tennis court. However, circumstances suddenly took me off the court, and in my head and heart, I will be back out there soon. But even if I am, the game will be different. Maybe a leisurely doubles game is still on the cards. My booming first serves and singles days live only in my head now. The only good thing that came from my ‘reel’ time was this quote from ‘Letters Of Annawin’ that seems to connect with my rumination. “The hardest part of life is this – you never know when you are holding a moment for the final time.” Maybe the algorithm is now sensing my mood and feeding me this content.
Corporate Reputation, too, has its ebbs and flows. Industry segments that rode high and topped the charts suddenly find their fortunes have changed. Disrupted by the inability or unwillingness to change with the times. Timing and attention play such a big role here as well. If the leaders of the organisation are paying attention to the changing environment, they can navigate the change. Right actions are taken at the right time, and reputation gets strengthened. If the leaders lose focus and their attention gets sucked away, the risk is high.
Nature teaches us about seasons and cycles of growth. Timing is so important. A tree grows, flowers, and bears fruit at different times. I feel as an individual that in my own growth, when the time is right for something to flower, it’s so important to work hard to create the right conditions to allow the bloom to burst forth. If not, the fruit will not come.
Some things cannot be delayed or kept for later. If the flower withers on the coffee bush, the coffee beans will not grow. Stolen attention is what often causes an idea that is flowering to wither. I must be mindful about who and what gets my time and attention. If I get distracted and lose focus, when I look up and around, the moment is gone, and with it, the momentum is lost. The withered coffee blossom will not get the chance to grow into beans and then turn into a cup that will inspire someone to do something great in the world.
As I meander from WhatsApp, to missing my son, to tennis courts, and to lost opportunities because I was not paying attention, what am I learning from the week that went by? Maybe the lesson is to focus on what’s right in front of me today. Be grateful for the opportunities I have and embrace them wholeheartedly. Ending on a note of brand-inspired wisdom, “Just do it” and don’t forget to ask, “Why do it?” to ensure alignment with purpose. That way, I know my time and attention are going towards things that matter most to me and my world.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
