The host of an NPR podcast explained how, as a kid, he was someone more eager to go to bed on New Year’s Eve than wait for the fireworks. He wanted to get started on his resolution list for the new year. I felt very seen; I have memories like that, too. I always think of a list: I should stretch more. I would like to meditate more. Maybe I can combo those. Then I try to slow my roll.
Where I’ve shifted in the last few years is recognizing the potency that this time of the year has for me but making sure that I’m not adding unrealistic demands of myself. The world has enough of those for me; I’m tasked just to pay attention to where I am in this world and how I might choose to improve, even if it’s a stretch.
So, with the usual suspects of resolutions, like hitting the gym or finally learning that second language, there’s a simpler and much more difficult challenge: Resolve to pay attention.
Some of our attention spans have become shorter than a cat video on TikTok. It’s time to break free from the digital daze, and beyond being just “present,” let’s recognize that the most valuable thing we have to give is our time. And, sometimes, we allow that time to just pass us by without truly inhabiting it.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than half of auto accidents occur within five miles of home, likely because we are so used to what we see every day that we no longer decide to pay attention to things we always see. The ability to truly focus has become a rare gem in an era dominated by being Always On with our phones and feigning multitasking madness.
I’m not the biggest fan of Tony Robbins — I’m too Type B to get on board with his Type A hype entirely — but his quote about energy flowing where attention goes rings true. However, he, or the writers of his website, went full tilt: “To get what you really want in life, you need a clear goal that has purpose and meaning behind it. Once this is in place, you can focus your energy on the goal and become obsessive about it.”
Of course: to each their own, but obsession seems like a method for mania instead of growth.
Paying attention isn’t just obsessing about things you might not be able to control; it’s about actively participating in the moments that make up our lives. Consider the times you’ve glanced at the sunset without truly seeing it or nodded along in a meeting without absorbing a word. Paying attention to the world is not just about being a passive observer; you can actively engage… once you have paid attention to the core issues that affect us all.
And I feel like there needs to be a warning: Paying attention might make you uncomfortable once you look up and realize you’re not where you want to be. Since our world rewards multitasking and constant connectivity, resolving to pay attention might seem like swimming against the tide, but here’s to making 2024 the Year of Knowing the Worth of Your Attention.
Cassie McClure is a writer, millennial, and unapologetic fan of the Oxford comma. She can be contacted at [email protected]. To find out more about Cassie McClure and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
Photo credit: Andrew Neel at Unsplash
