It has happened to all of us that at some time, we were paralyzed by an excess of information, which didn´t not let us act or react. They simply leave us overwhelmed, not only by the information from the networks, but also by the messages from our own relatives, which are often pessimistic or devastating and strongest of all our internal dialogue. That sure is stunning.
We have to look what has happened in the last 20 years, where there has been an evolution in the way of communicating or not communicating. Having more communication channels offers the proliferation of messages of all kinds. It is a paradox: We have the technology and we have the channels, but we need to know how to discern the characteristics: Are do the messages deserve to be read? Which are are of value to us and will allow us to really advance towards our goals and dreams?
We have to protect ourselves against the narcotic effect and information of the networks, which in the end, paralyzes us! And it leaves us without knowing how to navigate this confusing and overwhelming world of communication and networks.
On the other hand, another reality that we face is the culture of effort, which is highly denigrated, but let’s remember that it is essential. Making an effort does not mean that you lose your life in it, it is simply doing something on your part, as a reader, receiver and citizen, it is not letting all that external noise affect you. You have to protect yourself, you have to filter.
The effort, in the end, is an exercise in self-protection. We have become accustomed to having everything done for us. We prioritize entertainment, consumption of sensations, fast consumption, easy explanation over other things that demand more of us. Reading a book takes time. No matter how well it is written, no matter how interested you are in the subject, it requires you to withdraw from the whole environment and give your attention to it.
When there are so many messages, when you receive a large amount of input, so many things fighting for your attention, in the end you stand paralyzed, you don’t know what to do. You end up becoming a vessel into which things fall, and you don’t have time for discernment. We can observe this in media such as Twitter and even Instagram: something happens and we are all immediately giving our opinion about that something. There are times when I ask myself: is what I have to say about this really important? Do I have enough information to comment? Am I clear what I want to say about this? Have I had time to think about this? We have become accustomed to an immediacy that ends up being very pernicious because it takes away that quality time to reflect on what we have just read, to understand it and give it its rightful place.
These last two years in particular, have seen a lot of information production that is superimposed in layers and that we don’t have time to digest. On the one hand it is fabulous that there is so much production of knowledge, on the other hand it is overwhelming because there is no material time to consume all that, you have to be selective from the beginning.
Has this happened to you? It happened to me many times, I was overwhelmed, exhausted, with so much information. Once I searched for something on the internet, it was as if the electronic device read my mind and infinite information came to me, good and not so good on the subject… And you know that yes, artificial intelligence does read you and it overwhelming with data once it enters the digital jungle of information search. That is why it is essential to know how to cut, filter and protect yourself.
So, how to achieve what we want? How do we get out of that spiral and achieve our goals?
Let’s start simply by stopping: Breathe, Be Thankful, Release and Trust.
Trust what? Or who? Trust yourself. Silence the external noise, all the external noise and your own, that Jiminy Cricket, who sometimes doesn’t stop sabotaging your best version.
Filter, let’s learn to discern, let’s be selective, quality vs. quantity. Select reliable sources, which you have some confidence in their value judgments.Above all do not take for granted everything they communicate to us, question, ask yourself, draw your own conclusion, in the end that will be your greatest source of value and it is what will allow you to move forward. Trust yourself and start giving flight to your dreams.
Have you been paralyzed by so much information that you don’t know what to do? Has it happened to you?. Tell me about your experience, below.
