Information Overload got you numb?

Sometimes I get that way.

We were standing at a massive four-story window looking out on downtown Atlanta as Hurricane Dennis bore down on the gulf coast. It was raining furiously and there was a rumor that a tornado was about to hit nearby. Our hotel was packed with 2,500 professional speakers, so shyness was not one of our challenges.

We were all talking at once about this storm as though we were watching an IMAX screen. Suddenly a long, slow Missouri drawl broke into our conversation, "Yep, where I come from, we call that rotation." And he scooted off to a safer part of the hotel.

"Rotation," as in the edge of a tornado. The outer edge. The eye can't be far behind. And none of us had the presence of mind to move out of the way.

"It can't happen to me." "It won't happen here." "It isn't real." "That only happens on TV." You have had these conversations in your head. I KNOW I am not that different from you. We have muttered those things and watched reality as if it were a movie.

Why do bad things happen to good people? I don't have the answer to that, but I'd put money on it that occasionally bad things happen because we aren't paying attention. Or worse. We are numb. We have become a society of spectators. We watch so much TV, so many news shows, so many movies, that all of life begins to feel unreal.

Every once in awhile it is a good idea to notice you are numb to the craziness in the world. A constant barrage of media dulls its impact and your brain.

Try pulling back for a moment. Turn off the radio, the TV, and put down the newspaper. Take a deep breath. Allow yourself to integrate all you have absorbed. You can go back to it soon enough.

It is healthy to take a "brain integration break" now and again. I just stop and stare out the window or at a blank wall for awhile. Now don't do this at work unless you have an understanding boss! It will increase your creativity if you pull away from the project at hand from time to time. But some bosses don't understand this and I don't want you to lose your job!

So, breathe, pull back and see what reality is, and take care of yourself...

We need you!