It was very quiet on the train. A busy yet silent, early morning commute to London.
I noticed a toddler sitting on her mum’s lap. The little girl was quietly looking around staring at the passengers one by one, I followed her gaze and realised that every single commuter was looking down, most of them at a screen, tablet or phone and a couple were reading a paper book.
Suddenly our eyes met, hers rounded with surprise. She looked around, searched for me again. I was holding her glance. I smiled and she smiled back. I hid my face behind the seat in front of me. She instinctively knew what was happening and was eagerly waiting. When I reappeared, she let out a loud giggle ... One by one the heads started lifting. Looking at her. Which made that little girl chuckle again, prompting more smiles and more giggles. Within a minute every single person had a smile on their face and this little girl was beaming with joy!!
It was one of those magical moments revealing the power of ...
Looking up
A smile
Eye contact
Human connection
Looking up during that morning commute 7 years ago was a game changer. In just a few minutes, it dawned on me that by looking down at my phone too often, I had forgotten to connect with my surroundings, with myself, with others ... and I was not the only one.
From that wow moment on the train, my work as an emotional wellbeing practitioner took a richer dimension and dare to be the change was born.
As my own awareness of automatic behaviours with technology grew, I explored how I could improve my wellbeing, and now I empower my clients to do the same. So, we can collectively dare to be the change and find our unique alignment no matter what life throws in our path.
“Look up from your phone, shut down the display, take in your surroundings, make the most of today, just one real connection is all it can take, to show you the difference that being there can make.” Gary Turk - Look Up*
*** My dare to you this weekend / month / year ***
Look up from your phone
And I don’t mean ‘look up some info on your phone’! No no no ...
Image credit: Aliette Pfft
Tilt your head up and look above the screen! (or just put the phone down)
What do you see?
Who do you see?
Look up when you are at the bus stop
waiting in line
on the train
sitting in a café
at the playground with your children
Look up when someone talks to you at home, when you engage in a dialogue ...
Look up and dare to be the change you want to see in your family, community and life!
If you want to take this dare further... and perhaps have your own 'game changing' breakthrough ... you may be interested in our flagship course:
Dear phone, we need to talk
A 7 steps exploration to observe, evaluate and reflect upon the place your smartphone has in your life.
How to make small, sustainable changes to put you back in control.
A fun and meaningful experience.
Image Credit: wavebreakmedia_micro - Freepik
Let me know how you got on with this #dare, do share your experience in the comment section.
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* You can listen to / watch the full poem performed by Gary Turk on YouTube: 'Look Up'
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