I love photography because it’s a “in the moment” action. Think about it, a photographer has situational awareness and yet somehow finds his/her focus. The photographer inevitably is carried away by what they cast their eyes upon. The beauty of this art is that through their vision, the photographer experiences.
As a people watcher, this means that ALL people are candidates for drawing out a piece of a moment that lasts a lifetime.
“Life doesn’t pass you by, you pass on life”- S.Rojo
Photography is one tool that fuels the fire of authenticity in me. To attract authenticity into your life means you bring in overall awareness. Authentic living means to pause and BE and with all technology running our lives, we have to employ deliberate awareness from superfluous distractions. We have to be more aware of our focus to also include the simple things in life, in other words the ordinary.
I had a very sophisticated Italian friend named Giacomo and we occasionally use to get together. One evening as we enjoyed a philosophical conversation with a glass of Port he noted, “The difference between America and Europe is Americans live to work, and we work to live- Americans always seem to be incessantly distracted by work and stress and money. It’s not our focal point”. I think he’d be mortified today to note that unfortunately many Europeans are also currently distracted like Americans – primarily by their cell phones and all the “goody” apps on it.
Today, too many people focus on their cell phones rather than what or who is around them, and all the while these “cellphonites
” (my word for a cell fanatic), pass on life because that’s what happens while a person’s chin is down focused on that little screen- that person passes on life! Life doesn’t pass them by, but the other way around. The image I chose for this blog, you’ll see no fancy Louis Vuitton bag, no bling, not a gorgeous person looking at the camera posing. Just two men on a bench, nothing particularly special you may think. But for me, it is particularly special because it’s a reminder of how simple life really is when we pause. When we pause and look up we see a whole world to explore. We see children and old people, we see men and women and facial expressions that tell a story. We see flowers and buildings and bushes. And if we’re lucky enough to pay closer attention, we notice all of our senses breathing life into us for a full 360° experience.
Many people I know like to believe they’re not addicted to their phones, but they are. So let me ask you, whom are you missing out on when you’re too distracted by your cell phone? How many sounds and smells have you ignored by the Plaza you pass through because you’re “distracted”? Have you ever considered that your cell phone distractions make you selfish…. and even narcissistic? Thought-provoking eh?
Quotes:
“We have so many distractions. We’re losing the family unit. We’re losing the on-on-one. We’re becoming extremely narcissistic. And we have to be careful about that. There’s a lot to deal with out there.” – Lenny Kravitz
“Pausing is necessary to gain perspective. To pause creates the space for insights and infinite possibilities.” Dr. Bonnie Buckner
Encouraging You to Live Authentically,
Sandra
©2018 Sandra Rojo. All rights reserved.
For more info and or free consultation, contact: sandra@j-tal.com
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