We’ve all experienced the frustration of losing our signal, or worse yet being disconnected from the WIFI. It’s clear when it happens in a coffee shop, as all the guests look up from their devices for the first time – in unison. Coffee shops used to be gathering places, for connection – Human connection.
Historically, cafes were where thinkers would gather, a place for lively debate and critical thinking. Many coffee houses became popular because of the famous poets and writers who frequented them. And you know what, it may be that coffee shops are still frequented by poets and writers, but, we’ll never know because no one talks to anybody. These days, the only conversations you hear are the brief exchanges between barista and customer communicating just enough to make sure you order the right size and flavor of coffee. And the only inquiry is about getting the wi-fi password so you can sit down and hopefully close to a plug so you can stay charged.
Sad as it is, at least we know right away when we become disconnected from the internet. What would be different if we paid this much attention to when our internal connections and signals are lost?
What if we were as interested in taking care of our personal operating systems and recharging our own drive?
The signs of a disruption in digital service and an internal system disturbance aren’t that different at first. You know that panicked feeling that we feel when we lose wi-fi? It isn’t unlike the response we feel in our bodies when we feel off-centered in our internal systems. It’s the reasons that we become disconnected that require more understanding ( or dare I say inquiry) than the on-off explanation of what happens when we go offline on our binary digital devices.
There’s so much more in between what turns you on and what turns you off than a password and a plug. But until we understand what our personal “core processing unit “ consists of, we won’t be able to learn what these signals mean. Maybe the disconnect has something to do with a value that is being challenged or an underlying fear or limiting belief that needs to be addressed.
There is an opportunity here to consider the importance of noticing and listening to our internal signals, when we’ve gone off line with our values or purpose and staying connected to yourself so that you can stay plugged in to your frequency.
I still wish there were more coffee shops without wifi so that we could convene and commune like the good old days. It’s a wake up call of how dependent we all are on the internet and how reliant we have become on external factors to motivate us. Physically somewhere but mentally somewhere else. It’s not natural and quite frankly it’s an awful lot for our brains to manage. No wonder we are all stressed out and overwhelmed. And it has nothing to do with the coffee!
So keep checking in with yourselves my friends. Listen to the signals. Take your time to figure out what they mean. There are no quick fixes. No passwords or plug-ins just an opportunity to learn and discover what is important to you.
Published in Collaboration with:
Also by Lisa Hopkins:
Learning to Shift Your Mindset
Our Limitless Capacity to Thrive