'Paying
Attention' implies that 'attention' has a cost. What is this cost?
Perhaps 'attention' is the currency we are paying the world with?
One
would think that paying attention is relatively easy. But it has
never been easy, and it is getting more difficult due to the huge
flux of modern distractions.
One
thing I like about meditation and Tai Chi, is that these are tools to
train your awareness; to sharpen the knife of noticing. When I sit
following my breath I pay attention to when my mind leaves--->
when I start thinking about something else besides my breath. It just
happens---> 3-4 minutes go by with me thinking about other crap
then I snap out of it then the 'Joy of Returning' brings me back to
my breath.
There
must be some evolutionary or biological basis for our ease of
distraction/ lack of deep long term focus. Maybe animals who were
more easily distracted noticed predators more often? And this trait
survived to be passed to the next
generation?.................................... What was I talking
about?
Oh
yeah, mindfulness/awareness....
I
found this quote on twitter (so it must be true)... “The
human brain can only stay focused on one task or person for 7-10
minutes before they lose our attention.”
From
my experience, it seems that the majority of errors at work come from
not paying attention. Just the other day, I had to 'grab a fistful'
of faders when after speaking with my a2 I noticed that we were
rolling a soundbite! I dove and got to it in time. No one noticed.
Whew!
Mixers
have to be able to listen to many items at once. We must listen
through what's on program to hear cues.... We are like a dog that
jumps at its name...It is part of the job. But even with all the
sound sources/ stuff going on, I sometimes check my email or look at
a text from my wife or A2. Inexplicably, It is like I seek out the
distraction. ---> It changes depending on the sport. Baseball with
it's meandering pace and layover days lends itself to distraction.
Hockey not so much, (for me at least.) When KICU used to broadcast
the A's I used to cue up ASCAP music to bump to break with at the
same time I was mixing a game. After CSN took over full time, I
missed the extra action/ extra stimulus, I needed a certain level of
'busyness'. Now I try to remember to just sit back, breath, and enjoy
where I am.
We
are all very skilled at our jobs of choice. And part of these skills
is being able to react quickly. It just seems the internet has become
so ingrained in our lives that it is always there,calling like a
Siren from the Odyssey waiting to lure us to certain death against
the sharp rocks.
We
have to train ourselves to stay focused. (camera pun intended) For
camera operators have their own set of distractions besides the
internet/phones/laptops. They have all those faces/bodies luring them
away from presence. Plus blaring P.A.s and peanut throwing
fans...Each discipline has its set of things to pay attention
to/ignore.
Distraction
is not going anywhere. We have to learn to notice when our
gaze/awareness leaves what we are getting paid to do.... We are there
physically, the goal is to stay there mentally as well... In my
opinion, we owe it to the clients.
Again
this awareness of what we are actually doing, pulls back up to a
wider panorama of our lives: be aware of what you are eating, be
aware of what your kids are saying to you, be aware of why
someone/YOU might be upset, be aware of other cars/drivers,...give
the world the gift of your awareness-- to the best of your abilities.
Where
we focus our awareness is a choice. We can choose to be focused and
present or we can be floating elsewhere---> moving furniture
around the Theater of the Mind.
In
closing, Sharon Salzberg defines Buddhism in 7 words: 'Everything is
connected. Everything changes. Pay attention.'
Thanks
for your time,
derek
