You Will Never Get a Moment of Your Precious Time Back

 Recently I wrote a blog on the impact of texting on relationships, and it quickly became popular.  It might have been the tip of the iceberg.  I continuously hear about the challenges that clients face in keeping up with the demands of technology, and the stress that this creates in their lives and relationships.

If you’re like most people, you are attached to your smart phone for texts and instant messages, and you probably look at it constantly throughout the day and night.  More than likely, you are also using a variety of the big social media options today, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest just to name a few.  These all add to a saturation of communication all at the touch of your fingers, anywhere, anytime… all the time.

There is no doubt that mobile is the place to be.  With Smart phone technology and tablet devices you can access all these relentless bits of communication and be totally connected.  But what’s the impact?  Maybe a better question is, What’s the price you are paying for these non-stop incoming bursts of information?

Executives often come to see me carrying two devices, usually both an iphone and a blackberry.  Their work load spans all the waking hours of the day and night.  As you can easily imagine, the stress levels are high.  Most personal time away from the onslaught of work is found in busy family schedules and activities.  There’s no balance.  Where is the quiet time to recharge and unwind?    There’s no time to reflect on the bigger picture.

From my observation, our crazy device driven lives are causing an undercurrent of unhappiness, and life dissatisfaction.  How many people do you know that are truly happy and fulfilled today?

Some people are using social media in an attempt to find life balance.  They spend hours in countless social media interactions with their “friends” or “connections”.  But is it working?

From what I see, most people are missing the important things: deep, intimate connections of real friends and family, and lives of meaning.   When asked “What is your life about?” most people don’t know.  It’s that thing in the back of their mind that surfaces from time to time and haunts them.  Even the idea of having to think deeper into another layer can become uncomfortable.  Who has time for the deeper questions?  Even if they might bring answers leading to a life of joy and fulfillment.   That could mean something would have to change.  And that… is a very scary thought indeed!

Our technology driven lives are keeping everything at a superficial level.    People are struggling.  Relationships are suffering.   Countless families are filled with stress and unhappiness.

Are you truly doing what’s most important to you? 

On your death bed, you will not be saying “If only I had put in another 90 minutes of work every day for my company.” Or “If only I had spent more time pinning and sharing images on Pinterest” Or “If only I had sent out a few more tweets every day.” Or  “I wish I had gotten 2,937 more face book friends, because my life would have been complete.”  Nope you won’t be saying those things.

You might be asking yourself some version of the following:

1.  Did I show the world who I really am?  Or did I show the world only a part of the real me because I was afraid.

2.  Did I make a difference?  By living my purpose and knowing what my life was about.

3.  Did I live fully?  Not settling for a life that was less than I deserved.

4.  Did I love with all my heart?  Not holding back love because I was scared, or because my heart had been broken before?

5.  Did I go for what I really wanted?  Not waiting for the perfect moment when the stars were all lined up, and the timing was just right.

Take some time to contemplate what you want your life to be about.  The path to happiness and life success will not be found in the countless devices and technology platforms.  It will be found within the deeper aspects of you, and in pursuing the things that are most important to you.  This path requires courage and commitment.  If you are ready to set yourself free and want to have a conversation about how to begin, email me at jeff@peakresultscoaching.com 

All we have to decide is what do to with the time that is given us.  –JR Tolkien

.