The Vanishing Art of Paying Attention

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“Tell me what you pay attention to, and I will tell you who you are.” (Jose Ortega y Gasset)

Attribution: Donna CameronWhat do you pay attention to? I know a woman—an artist—who notices color and texture and light everywhere she goes. And she thinks about capturing it on canvas, or fabric, or even just memory. Another person—a devoted animal lover—has her radar out for dogs: big ones, little ones, quiet ones, yappy ones, puppies . . .  she adores them all and it makes her quite a canine magnet. And then there’s my acquaintance who is always on the lookout for slights, for people who disagree with him, for comments he can interpret as disrespectful or confrontational. With his detector tuned to these encounters, he tends to find offense everywhere. He lives in a perpetual state of raised hackles.

There’s even a world leader who purportedly only pays attention when the news or information he’s viewing is sprinkled generously with his own name.

A couple of posts ago, I wrote about fear as one of the biggest barriers to kindness—both to our extending kindness and our receiving it. In the comments, Janis, of the delightful Retirementally Challenged blog, observed that for her the biggest obstacle to kindness is “not being in the moment,” and thus unaware that kindness may be needed. She notes that opportunities are lost if we fail so see what’s happening around us.

Janis is right. Our own obliviousness is one of the biggest barriers to kindness. If we’re absorbed in our own private world, or our technology, we simply don’t notice that the person right in front of us needs help, or that a child may need comforting, or that a kind word could lift someone’s day. We fail to see when one person goes out of their way to help another. On the receiving end, our obliviousness prevents us from noticing a stranger’s smile, acknowledging someone who held a door for us, or even recognizing our own need for self-compassion.

Since I started thinking about, writing about, and trying to live a life of kindness, I am ever so much more aware of it—of opportunities for me to extend kindness, of kindnesses extended my way, and of kindnesses—big and small—all around me. I still miss a lot, though. I tend to spend a lot of time in my own head, and, as my husband kindly points out, I can be oblivious not just to kindness, but also to clutter, dust, thirsty houseplants, and sometimes speed limits. Paying attention requires practice.

Technology is one of the things that gets in the way of our being attentive to our surroundings and the people around us. According to a 2016 study, most of us spend about two-and-a-half hours on our smartphones daily. Heavy users—the top ten percent of phone users—spend closer to four hours, or one-quarter of their waking time, on their phones. These heavy smartphone users click, tap, or swipe their phones an average of 5,427 times a day, while the rest of us clock in at a mere 2,617 times daily. It would be interesting to find a study that further breaks down phone time into work and non-work usage. Since my own average is probably about five touches a day, and perhaps five minutes—if that—I am clearly not holding up my end of this devil’s bargain.

I recognize that to decry technology is to declare myself a Luddite or at least a very old fogey. I don’t believe I’m either. But I am mindful of something that I tell strategic planning clients with some frequency: Everything we say “yes” to means we must say “no” to something else, so we need to think long and hard about what is most important to us and whether that’s where we’re putting our time, attention, resources, and energy. What are we saying no to as we say yes to a five-inch screen and perpetual connectivity?

There are good reasons to stay connected to our devices, but it’s worth asking occasionally if we are making a conscious choice or simply succumbing to addiction.

What we choose to pay attention to creates the world we live in. If our radar is focused on dogs, we will live in a world of laughing golden labs, cuddly collies, and frolicking puppies. If we look for slights and reasons to be angry, our world will be rife with insult and offense. If we pay attention to gratitude, we will find ourselves surrounded by things to be grateful for. And, if our attention is on kindness, there will be no end to our opportunities to experience or extend kindness.

I believe there are several “secrets” to living a good life. High on that list is the simple—though not necessarily easy—habit of paying attention. It all begins with choosing to be present and choosing what we will pay attention to.

“We become what we love.  Whatever you are giving your time and attention to, day after day, is the kind of person you will eventually become.” (Wayne Muller)

20 thoughts on “The Vanishing Art of Paying Attention”

  2. I live near a university, and need to always be alert for students walking with wires dangling from their ears, and cell phone screens out in front of their faces. They stumble along, oblivious to the world around them, jaywalking in front of cars without a glance up at what’s happening. I pity them. The sounds of nature, the joy of walking for the sake of walking all lost to them. They may be mindful of the play of images and sounds on their devices, but they miss so much else — including the kindness of motorists who carefully do not run them over with their cars!

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    • It’s true, Kathi. They are completely oblivious to cars, bicycles, other pedestrians, and their surroundings. And it’s surprising that there aren’t more collisions and injuries. I wonder if they’ll ever pause to think about the sights, sounds, and experiences they are missing, or has technology simply bred the interest in nature (or other beings) out of some people. I’m thinking this doesn’t bode well for the future of mankind. Thanks for commenting. It’s always so good to see you!

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  3. I feel like you wrote this for me today. It really is just what I needed. I am way to connected to my phone to the point of possible addiction. I must get back to real life encounter kindness more!’ Thank you donna!

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    • Ah, Jodi, thanks for your kind words; I’m glad mine resonated for you today (as your chicken soup recipe resonated for me!). Good luck cutting back on the phone—I hope it results in new adventures and delightful discoveries.

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  4. Another great post about practicing kindness (and, very kind of you to include a mention and a link to my blog 🙂 ). I loved what you write about saying “yes” to one thing means we must say “no”‘ to something else. Life is all about choices, and we need to choose wisely every day. I know that too many times, I choose my electronics.

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    • I wonder if it’s easier to choose our electronics because our devices don’t ask much of us – other than attention – and even then, their feelings aren’t hurt if we say the wrong thing or push the wrong button. Successful human interaction requires effort, give-and-take, and empathy—that’s a lot of work! Thanks, Janis!.

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  5. Thanks for a lovely post, Donna. I’m with you, and find that slowing down to Nature’s pace and paying attention to the natural world around us is the key to heightened awareness and a kind attitude.

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    • Thanks, Carol, your comment reminded me of something I once heard a speaker say: “Move at the pace of guidance.” I really liked that. I interpreted it to mean pay attention and follow the pace nature and your inner compass direct. It’s the first day of autumn here, so happy first day of spring to you!

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  7. Finally my own boss again..just got to read your blog and loved it..good visit but taking a few days to catch up on silence…next week back into society.. I am trying to catch up on the news..perhaps a stupid road to travel..how have you been? ,,did you check out college up your way? ” catch me up “….

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    • Sounds like we’ve got some catching up to do! Can’t wait to hear about the big visit. Catching up on the national and international news sounds like cruel and unusual punishment–the world is still spiraling out of control and the crazies are still running the show. Let’s connect soon. Thanks, Barb!

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  8. What a simple but profound truth – we are drawn towards what we pay attention to, but how conscious are we in our choices around where we allocate our attention? Thank you, Donna, for another thought provoking post 😊

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