I am still trying to work out what I am going to give up in 2024. What is going to be the cost in one area, so I can improve in another? As I see it, in order to make improvements, we have to be able to create the space and environment that is conducive to getting those results, otherwise we are just wishing for a miracle, without putting skin in the game. It is unlikely to happen, isn't it?
People think that time is the most valuable resource we have to waste, but I disagree. Time is valuable of course, but in and of itself, it is nothing, except the space to do something within. What is more valuable in terms of our personal resources, is our attention. It is our attention that matters, because where we place it, is what is going to get the rest of our resources.
Pay attention to what you are doing!
We have all heard this before, because there is a cost to not paying attention. For instance, if we aren't paying attention whilst cutting vegetables, driving a car, or to the people we care about, we are going to pay a price. We know that when we aren't paying attention to what we know we should, there are going to be negative consequences, so when we know there will be a cost, we generally force ourselves to pay attention, so we don't cut ourselves, crash the car, or lose the people we care for. However, there is a bit of a difference in that last one, isn't there? Because time is involved. Being inattentive for a day might not carry a high cost, but for a year will.
And this speaks to where attention is valuable for our goals and perhaps why we find it difficult to accomplish long-term goals. Like when we pay attention whilst cutting tomatoes, we are also prone to slowly not paying attention to our partner, whom we love. It is far easier to keep our attention when there is an immediate cost, rather than a slow decline. For instance financially, if we got a bill for $10,000 dollars, we aren't going to be thrilled, yet if we buy a new car for 50,000, that is how much it will lose as we drive it off the lot, and then likely another 10,000 a year or two down the track. We don't see this as an immediate cost, or the depreciation as a bill, because we don't "feel it" instantly, like a cut.
Even worse perhaps, is when we have our hopes and dreams for accomplishment of something in the future, but our momentary attention is always spent cutting tomatoes - which only takes a moment. However, when we are spending hour upon hour watching streaming content, that is taking our attention too - attention that could be spent elsewhere. For example, if we were looking to improve our personal financial situation, even working a job at McDonald's will return far more value than watching the latest hit show on Netflix.
Our attention can only be spent in the moment, which means that in order to achieve those long-term goals, we have to do the right things now. Just like time, we can never get our attention back, but time actually has no experience to it. People talk about spending their money on experience rather than things, but experience is useless unless attention is also being paid. It reminds me of a trip to Egypt where my girlfriend and I were running around the Great Pyramids, trying to explore and soak in all we could, whilst some other people on the tour, sat on the bus playing cards. They paid for the experience.
Which takes me back to the start of this article, where I am still unsure what I am going to be giving up in 2024, because I am also unsure what I want to accomplish that is compelling enough that will hold my attention long-term. There are plenty of results I want to achieve, but how am I going to ensure that I will stick to it. Essentially, there has to be some kind of immediate cost to not paying attention to what I want to achieve, rather than just the slow slide into non-accomplishment.
And, this is something that I reckon is also getting in our way, as the things that we want to accomplish are seen as good things, where the result is a positive, like quitting smoking, losing weight, or exercising more. This means that "non-accomplishment" isn't an actual loss, it just isn't a positive gain.
I am at a loss.
I have never thought much about New Year Resolutions before, but I think that this coming year I am going to try one, but do it in my way, where in order to get something, I am going to have to give up something. It is much harder to give something up, than say I want to get something in the future, knowing there is no cost to not getting it.
Get it?
So, perhaps I will crowdsource some ideas on what might be a good goal for 2024 and then, work backwards from there to see what kinds of things I might need to give up, or giving up would facilitate the outcome.
What do you want to accomplish in 2024 (and beyond), and how are you going to go about reaching that goal? What are you going to commit to, what are you going to give up, what costs are there in not reaching it?
What I do know is that if it is not compelling, if there isn't a need, if it is just a "nice to have", non-accomplishment is pretty much guaranteed.
What compels you?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
