Sometimes you just can’t see what you really need.
As I write this, we are enjoying a phone free week at my house or maybe I should say I am enjoying a phone free week at my house. It is certain that the kids don’t necessarily enjoy it – at least not the first couple days. I do this once every 2 or 3 months and leading up to it, the pain, agony, confusion, disgust and finally resignation from my children is very interesting to watch.
I purchased the phones for them and so I am certainly not against phones but I do hate how addictive they seem to be and how they rob people of the interpersonal connections that are so key to a better quality of life.
It takes a little bit more effort to make it work but the results are worth the slight pain and inconvenience in my humble opinion.
For one thing, almost immediately, my children began engaging more with each other. At night they grab a book, and while yes, they do fight a little bit more, we can’t have it all right?
One thing that I noted in particular was that this appears to be providing them with opportunities to problem-solve. Now that they can’t call me and their father (at least not from their phone), they have to figure things out a bit more. My daughter in particular hates to get out of her comfort zone but not having that phone at her finger tips forces her to find an alternate solution.
They would not admit it but they even seem a little happier to me during that week.
The point is that people hate change for the most part and sometimes can’t make the right decision without some help.
You may be struggling with something similar. You have the knowledge of the right thing to do to get the result but you just need help from someone who is not afraid to challenge you, push you and who cares enough not to be intimidated by your strong emotions.
What is something that you “know” would increase the quality of your life but you have been putting off?