As the world has become more and more distracting, the ability to focus your attention has become a rare superpower. But you probably already know that, so here’s the real question: Do you even know what deserves your attention? Do you have the faintest clue, or are you just drifting along, carried by the current of collective mindlessness?
Everybody is trying to hijack your attention – shoving their own priorities, their own obsessions – desperately hoping you’ll mistake them for your own.
And if you don’t have a strong grasp over your deteriorating mental capabilities – most of us don’t – you’ll just follow along. Just run to the spot with the biggest crowd. The link that has most views. The video that rants about the most trendy topic.
To prove that that’s the case for most of us, I want to ask you this:
Do you have a clear agenda when you open your phone, YouTube, or any other of the current most popular social media apps? Or are you just waiting for the almighty algorithm to spoon-feed you whatever can keep you engaged the longest?
To elaborate further, say that you’re opening YouTube. Do you know what you want to watch? Maybe something based on your interests or your profession. Maybe you have a problem, and you’re looking for a solution.
Or – which I think is what happens in most of your interactions – you’re just opening the app because you are drowning in a pit of soul-sucking, all-consuming angst, fueled by a complete absence of any meaningful purpose. Thus, you want to numb yourself with an endless scroll of mind-melting content, hoping to temporarily silence the existential dread creeping in the back of your mind.
To rephrase, you just want to consume something because your life feels disturbingly empty. You have no idea what you should be doing, and you’re simply jumping online to attach yourself to an idea – even if that’s going to be for a brief moment – just to escape the unbearable weight of total despair.
Hey there, sorry to interrupt…
Since you’ve come this far, it seems that you are passionate about pursuing depth over distraction. I am too! And while what I’m about to say next probably won’t quite excite you, I have to say it…
Look, this is members-only content.
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See, I digest acres of complex ideas from various resources and morph my findings into straight-to-the-point book summaries, thought-provoking articles, and practical courses. The main goal is not only to help you understand the underlying concepts from badass ideas. But, also, to help you stay curious, inspired, and well-educated. Above all, though, I want to help you transition from a passive online consumer to an active, mindful go-getter with a sense of purpose.
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- Eudaimonia. Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eudaimonia
