Use technology to become your favorite show ever.

Want to reclaim your integrity?

Get a drop cam in your home!
Wait, come back, please. Yes, that really is the advice I’m throwing out here but it’s not what you think.

Being “on camera” for the right reasons can be like going to a self-help boot camp entitled:
How To Become A Person You Adore

Integrity is notably described as doing the right thing when no one is watching, our ultimate goal.  But how to you get from insecure and defensive to graceful and confident? With practice of course!

Next time you are about to go just a little too far, antagonizing a situation you shouldn’t, saying words you don’t think you’d ever really say, in any way that doesn’t mesh with who you truly are and aspire to be — your brain will now do something new. It will remember that camera and get flashes of potential scenarios that might look very similar to topics in that show Black Mirror….
And then you conclude, what if, in some crazy way, another human being… might…
actually… see me!

Poof! Being the gentler, kinder, more tolerant person (you already are) is very effortless. Your practice has paid off.

Congrats!

But what really happened?

P
A
U
S
E

You literally hit the pause button on your brain by distracting it. Which is all it really takes to completely avoid doing or saying those extra terrible things we immediately regret. Integrity is the moment when you realize the power behind your own restraint is the key to being who you want to be.  It’s the moments you don’t speak or act.  It’s briefly giving the benefit of the doubt to someone that they do not mean what you are interpreting as a potential threat.  And that’s all your brain needs, just a second or two, to take in enough data and interpret it long enough to give a bigger picture of what’s actually occurring.

We don’t like to allow our brain to finish “processing” before we launch our initial response, waaaaay too early, triggered by survival instincts that are not intended to respond to every single thing around the clock. We expect immediate processing from our own brains and then spend our down time disappointed and hating on ourselves for not having a nicer “survival mode” response to normal bumps in the road of life

Bumps are safe and sometimes fun. What they are not supposed to do is trigger our fight or flight system which is way to harsh for most situations. Once we get beyond the few seconds we start to have clarity and see that we are safe and we can then communicate with each other very productively. Practice this over and over and before long it will happen automatically.

The trick is figuring out what safety net you can implement to assure you will be able to get your brains’ attention when it is about to sign, seal and deliver a 24 hour silent treatment contract to your partner over a snippy response.

And for what? So we can waste more time arguing about arguing?

We have to keep practicing and stay on ourselves to behave better. If we allow too much leniency and complacency we are left staring in shock at the aftermath we helped create. We ask ourselves “how did this happen?”

For me, my Nest Cam is my Jiminy Cricket. My good angel just loves to be in the spotlight while my bad angel hides from view; exactly what I needed to stay on course!

It’s presence in our home began as a way to watch our pets when we were at work. It’s personal benefits were not known to me originally. Over time I have recognized and embraced it’s hidden value. It helps me stay true to my values. It keeps me on the mindful path I want to be on. It reminds me to behave in ways that I can look back on and be proud of.

#charliebrooker
#macklemore

Comments