Attention, Please

In a world of distractions, your attention means everything

A mesmerist using animal magnetism on a seated female patient. Wood engraving, c. 1845. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.

“Choice of attention—to pay attention to this and ignore that—is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. In both cases man is responsible for his choice and must accept the consequences.” — W.H. Auden

Early in my career as an executive at Ford, I was at a conference in Paris, and I remember meeting someone for the first time whom I had only known online.

Angela and I found a high-top table away from the noisy hallway crowd and chatted for a bit, catching up on all that had happened in the five years since we first connected online: new jobs, new cities, family life, observations on the industry, and the like. 

She noticed something during this time — something that escaped me.

When we were done, she wound up the conversation with astonishment:

“Scott, I’ve been talking nonstop and during that time you put your phon…