There’s only so many things I can get done in a day. When I managed a sales team for a fast paced startup I learned this lesson. Then I learned it better.
Today, as I was walking Wiggles in the wee hours of the morning and freezing my butt off, I was thinking about why I was so content.
As I walked, I looked at the huge homes in the neighborhood that dwarf mine. They’re double the size with oversized 2 car garages, wrap around porches, 5 bedrooms, BMWs and Mercedes SUVs in the driveways and professionally landscaped front yards.
They wear the latest fashions (I think judging from similar outfits, sneakers and coats I see). They’ve got the newest phones (gigantic). Their kids are decked out with expensive clothes, gear and toys.
I thought, why don’t I covet this stuff?
I recalled a conversation MGLN and I had recently about music, New Year’s Eve and pop culture. She said, “I pay no attention to pop culture. I don’t understand the appeal.”
Neither do I.
As someone who’s an ardent observer of people, I watch what’s going on in my neighborhood. But I don’t pay any attention to things like:
- Pop music – Every once in a while, I’ll listen to a hit song on YouTube to see if I’m missing anything. 99% of the time, I don’t make it through the entire song.
- Trending topics – Whether it’s movies, news, videos or books, I pay no attention at all to the latest trends. I’ve not watched Tiger King, I never read “Shades of Gray” and I have no interest in Marvel Movies. Trending video clips and news articles are abysmal, I ignore them completely.
- Cars – I barely notice them. I can’t distinguish one from another and couldn’t care less.
- Home decor – My wife used to love to watch home makeover shows. I enjoyed seeing how craftsmen could do amazing things like tear out walls, strip a room to the studs and reconfigure an interior. But, I never cared that my counters are laminate instead of marble, my appliances aren’t state of the art or that my cabinets are 20 years old.
- Expensive Road Bikes, Motorcycles, Boats, RVs and Toys – Yawn. These fill garages and stay parked in driveways mostly. I wouldn’t mind having a kayak or canoe – if I lived on a lake. Otherwise, I figure I’ll rent or borrow any of these if I need them. (I haven’t needed any of them for decades).
With my recent deletion of podcasts covering current events, I realize that I only pay attention to what’s important to me.
Everything else is a distraction and a waste of time.
When occasionally I am bored and feeling like I want a some mindless brain candy, I’ll look at Twitter or at Trending videos on Youtube or movies on Amazon Prime. Within a few minutes, I’m agitated. They never provide the entertainment or relaxation I am seeking.
And so, I like how MGLN put it so succinctly, “I pay no attention to pop culture. I don’t understand the appeal.”
That is quite appealing.