Love is BS. It’s marketing hype driven by chocolate and greeting card companies. Love today is mostly buying stuff to give to people to supposedly make them feel good. Or passionate. Or kind. Or sexy. Blah.
Now Attention on the other hand is something that can’t be bought.
Give someone your fully present, 100% aware, tender, kind loving attention, and now there’s magic. You see “love” can be purchased at a store in a box of chocolates and left on somebody’s desk. But attention requires your most valuable asset. Your time. Give someone your undivided attention, and you’ve got magic. The most delicate of caresses to the back of the neck, with focus and presence and attention. Now you have fireworks. Goosebumps. And the potential for passion and full-on electricity.
But giving full attention is so damn hard. We’re bombarded by the news, by our phones, by email, by all of that addictive distraction. It has gotten so difficult to be present and attentive.
So how do you do it? Like this:
- Power down your phone. Not vibrator mode. POWERED down.
- Get away from your computer.
- Take 3 breaths.
- Notice how you’re doing. What do you feel? Attention starts with us first.
- Stay present, and now, only when you’re slowed down and fully in the moment – connect to whoever is closest to you.
- Give them your entire, undivided attention.
Please don’t buy anything this Valentine’s Day.
Give attention not stuff. We all crave the feelings of connectedness that are only possible when we give our full attention.
Try it and then share your experience in the comments.