You may recall that last time we began to take a look at the ways many have given up on their dreams that were once so important to them. As they have aged, they have lost their passion and zeal for things that once mattered. I mentioned that our real priorities are not so much what we say they are as much as what we see reflected in our calendars and I encouraged you to examine yours. I hope you did and that you gained some insights.
Today I want to offer one other suggestion to help you recapture the pursuit of your dreams. Tiffany Shlain, author of the book, 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week, discusses the benefits of taking what she refers to as a “Tech Shabbat” – a day of resting from technology. A day away from all screens may sound impossible (addictions will do that to us), but the benefits can be enormous.
As Shlain points out, with a day away from the distraction of our devices, we can begin to understand ourselves, be fully present and available to other people, a get in touch with truly deep thinking. When we are distracted by screens all of the time, we are not operating at peak efficiency, and we rarely are able to get back in touch with our dreams. She states that “If we don’t wind down, we’ll never truly wake up.”
While I know that in 2021, a day without picking up our phone to look at it seems unthinkable – but it’s not. Perhaps you could let your family and friends know what you are doing so that they won’t freak out when you don’t immediately respond to their text or the cute puppy picture they posted on Facebook.
Give this some suggested some thought. Your dreams were once important to you and seemed achievable – and they can be again!