This summer I had just started a run and was two blocks away from my son’s house. The pavement was littered with apples and as I was running, I looked down and wondered if these apples could be used to make applesauce with my granddaughters. The next thing I knew I was among the apples lying on my back on the pavement. Something had hit me in the face; a thick branch of the apple tree did not budge as I ran into it.
As my bruises healed it dawned on me that my brush with the apple tree contained symbolic value: we can be so preoccupied to look down that we forget to look up. I may work on several tasks that clamor for attention, and my attention gets bogged down in the groundwork of doing these tasks. In the process I forget to look at the big picture, and before I know it, I am lost in busy-ness. Sometimes I need a reminder to look up and pay attention. That reminder does not have to be a smack in the face by a thick branch, but it can still be jarring. Somebody may point out that I have been thoughtless in dealing with others, or a project derails because I did not see the bigger picture. But mostly, the focus on details makes me lose an opportunity that I just did not see it or did not exploit it because I did not pay attention to the big picture.
But looking up is also a metaphor for being aware of meaning, our values, or a higher purpose. How easy it is be super busy and lose sight of what can transcend our work beyond the mere activities. John Trefny—former President of the Colorado School of Mines—often asked the question “what is your noble purpose?” Not looking up amounts to not pausing to ask ourselves this important question. Fortunately, I had John who asked me this question numerous times over the years. Most of us need reminders to look up.
And if you are spiritually or religiously inclined, do you take you the time to connect your daily activities with your spiritual or religious insights and connection? Do you take the time to listen to the “still small voice within”? Do you tap into your intuition and the lessons you can learn there? Do you integrate your spiritual or religious practices in your daily life?
What does “looking up” mean to you? Do you take the time to lift your attention from the busy-ness of every day and look at the big picture of your activities and how they fit into your life and your priorities? How can you slow down so that you have the clarity and peace of mind to look up? It can take an effort to do so, and you may need to shift your focus. Do you know how to look up in your life?
If you have a hard time to look up beyond your busy daily routine, then I can help you as a life and career coach. And as you have learned from this post, you don’t want to work with me as a running coach …