The Attention Economy

COVID-19.  Pandemic.  Ventilators.  Social Distancing.  Coronavirus Tests.  George Floyd.  Riots.  Police Brutality.  Racial Injustice.  Political Divide.  

Are you screaming, MAKE IT STOP?!

It won't. 

This is … The Attention Economy!  

Grab your attention and your time follows.

The most precious resource you have from cradle to grave is your TIME.  

Precious Time.  More precious than gold, silver, diamonds, uranium, or even astatine (look it up).   Yes, even more precious than a yet-to-exist flu vaccine!

Time

We passively sit back on our couches or on our smartphones and let computer-generated algorithms grab our attention.

Media conglomerates use "Breaking News."    Fortune 500 and Entrepreneurs use "Pain Marketing." Politicians use "Mudslinging,"  Rip the other guy to shreds so you don't have to address the real issues.  We watch debates to see who drops the most memorable soundbites so we can share on social media.  

The more shocking the meme, the more views.  

These memes and marketing devices capture our attention.  I use the word CAPTURE, quite intentionally.  'Captured' like a prisoner.  Then, with our attention caged and focused, they feed us their content.  They sell us freedom.  Freedom from the cage they created.  We are given a simple decision - FREE yourself or stay CAGED.  

In a complex world, we seek simple answers, so we take the bait and get reeled in …

We buy the product.  We buy the ideology.

Time follows our attention like it is on a leash.

Oh, by the way, WE are THEM.  

If you shared a meme which is biased in ANY way or if you've marketed a product through fear or pain messages, you are THEY.  It is so common and effective, we're not even aware of it anymore.

Check your blame at the door before you read further.  WE are all to blame.

And Let me be even MORE crystal clear, I am THEY.  In my 30-year consulting career, I helped dozens of my marketing clients market their products.  My very first project was an Image Initiative in the late 1980s where we built a "Yuppies in Hell" campaign.  Yep, we literally created a marketing campaign around how young upwardly mobile professionals *yuppies* were in hell.   'Your success will lead you to hell.'  Wow!

As an entrepreneur, I desperately try to eradicate pain marketing from my wisdom mastery programs.  But pain and fear marketing is so embedded in our culture, I admit I'm not winning every battle.

Let's stop taking the bait!  Begin with an abundance mindset.  

My grandfather was born in 1889.  I was born in 1960.  My grandson was born in 2012.  In 1900, life expectancy for the world was a mere 32 years.  I was born into a world where life expectancy increased by a whopping 56 percent.  World life expectancy for my grandson's birth year was 70.7 years!   A 120% increase from my grandfather!  

From my grandfather to my grandson, humanity has DOUBLED life expectancy on this planet!  

And sadly, we waste so much of our time seeking freedom we already have! 

We live in an era of tremendous abundance!  

Focus your attention and time on the things that REALLY matter to you.  Need some hints?

• Focus on Self:  Health, Happiness, Immunity, Vitality, Personal Freedom
• Focus on Others:  Family, Community, Social Issues like Racial and Gender Inequalities 
• Focus on Future Generations:  Climate Change, Endangered Species, Preserving Natural Resources, Preserving Family and Cultural Wisdom through Storytelling

From this beautiful gift of abundance:

• Let's solve big issues of our humanity. 
• Let's explore great new worlds deep in our oceans and space.
• Let's build exciting technologies which enhance our human experience.
• Let's preserve our natural resources and environment for future generations.

Most importantly, let's spend more Quality Life Time with our spouses, our children, our grandparents, our parents, our brothers and sisters.  

From cradle to grave, we share the responsibility to leave this place better for future generations.  Thank our ancestors because they granted us TWICE their life span!

How do we engage this responsibility?

By sharing our wisdom.  Generously.  Abundantly.  Across borders and boundaries.

Our human species has endured thousands of years.  We are evolving.  FAST!  In just 5 generations, from my grandfather to my grandson, life expectancy has increased 120%!!!  

Focus your attention and time on what matters most.

Live into your Life Mission!