What do you spend your day looking at?

​Ever catch yourself looking off into space when you’re trying to remember something? Maybe it’s a name, a date, the last time you took the dog out. Or, when you’re supposed to be choosing that ONE THING you want to accomplish for the day?

What is it about space that helps us focus? Remember? Gain inspiration? Dream?

As my eyes traced the horizon of Joshua Tree National Park, I found myself pondering this. If you’ve ever been out West, you will know what I mean when I say... there’s nothing like that sky.

We were on the tail end of our Southwest roadtrip - a bucket list adventure for me and my husband. With our “out of office” messages on, we took mid December through mid January to drive 1,700 miles across Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, making our way to California. And that expansive sky - with its ruby sunrises, purple sunsets, sparkling stars, and inky darkness - became an inspiring companion. It reminded us that YES, our ideas could be bigger; that of course anything is possible. And whoa, the world is ONE. BIG. PLACE.

As a New Englander, contained by the mountains and hills around us, it can be challenging to find such a significant vista. Unless, of course, you are one of those fortunate enough to live on the Atlantic coast.

It can also be challenging because well… we live on screens. We live in our inboxes. There’s nothing expansive about looking at a screen that measures 4 inches diagonally. (Crap! I just gave away the fact that I still have an iPhone 5). Oh, and I should add that looking into the distance is great for improving eyesight because it allows our eye muscles to relax.

What might it look like to integrate your own practice of “distance gazing” into your day? There are lots of handy apps to help remind you. I was talking to a friend of mine about this idea and she told me that she has a bird feeder about 8 feet away from her office window. It gives her a chance to look outside, away from her blinking cursor. Sure, it’s no Grand Canyon, but it’s still space - space that reminds her life is larger than the email she needs to get out.

Author
Coach Lindsey Lathrop works with motivated people who want to make a change but feel stuck - stuck in their thinking, overwhelm, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome. She believes in "eating the frog," good socks, strong coffee, and paying it forward. ​

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