"We're really looking for something that's not there!"

December 2019:  "We're really looking for something that's not there!"  I was recently at an evening for women, run by women with a fellow entrepreneur sharing her expertise, focused on how to use social media to increase  engagement in our businesses.   In recent months I have been stepping out of my comfort zone and attending networking events, making new business contacts and this event came from an invitation from one of those new contacts.  I find that I always learn something by meeting other people on a similar journey. Although our businesses are very diverse, we all experience ups and downs and it's good to share! It was at this event that I heard the statement, "We're really looking for something that's not there!"  It was in response to the fact that so many of us mindlessly scroll through our phones many, many times a day without real purpose. 

It got me to thinking.  My excuse to myself is that I use my phone for work, booking in appointments, updating social media (work of course ;) ) and reading and responding to emails but, if I am honest, I know that I am guilty of mindless scrolling.  It IS like I am looking for something that's not there! It's something that I've discussed with various family members. I have begun to turn on airplane mode when I am out walking and have contemplated assigning myself specific windows of time time to engage with social media (yes, I think I am that bad!). The camera on my phone is so much better than my camera that I prefer to use, which is why I don't just leave the phone at home.    

But it's not just social media that the statement applies to.  I won't drag you down with me but I know there have been so many times in my life when I didn't truly appreciate what I had.  I was often looking for more.  One path I could never quite get to the end of was education and job satisfaction.  I was always striving to do better, gain another qualification, climb up the ladder, take on more responsibility and so on. The irony came when I felt I had finally 'arrived', it was all whipped away by Sepsis!  

Fast forward 4 1/2 years, I believe that Sepsis was given to me as a 'wake up call'.   Sepsis made me stop.  My body fought back but, most importantly, my mind dug deep, as it had done in half-ironman and half-marathon races when I thought I was running out of energy and the challenge was too great.  Since then, I have learned so much about myself.  First, as I tried my damndest to get back to where I had been pre-sepsis but then it dawned on me that the lesson was to find a new way of being and a new way of living.  I am still on that journey.  There have been lots of small steps alongside the massive shifts.  Nowadays, I share what I have learned, hopefully encouraging others to make positive changes in their lives.

So, as we approach 2020, let's look up from our phones and appreciate life moment by moment, savouring ever second!