My BlackBerry crashed in the early hours of this morning …
If you could extract the ‘blackbox’ it may tell you it was that final app that I tried to download which overloaded it. Or it could have been 22 months of major expectations on its tiny frame, endlessly pushing buttons, checking tweets, updating my status, reading the news, accepting invites on linkedin, receiving mail, sending mail, pushing out texts, long BBM chats, continually receiving BBM group alerts, whats app conversations, checking the weather, managing my tasks, managing my apps – one for london tubes, one for reading the bible, one for finding out what song is on the radio, one for seeing which hotel rooms I can book in the city I am in, one for journalling and of course one for ‘checking in’ so that I can become the mayor. Then of course there was the endless internet browsing, the long nights plugged into 240volts, the GPS navigation and last but not least – phone calls.
And it crashes?!
So if one word had to describe my day without it it would be …
SPACE!
I realised just how much I was allowing myself to be connected to.
This is not an anti BB or Iphone post! Fact is I love them both dearly. And yes, I could just turn it off! In fact, the major source of stress for me lately was deciding what to do on my upgrade. Today I have been dragging around my old nokia which has to have its battery taped in cause the back cover is warped. I was probably leaning toward the Iphone but this decision has become as important as how I should invest my money.
I said I would never check email after 5pm, but there was something alluring about that little yellow envelop sitting sitting staring at me. Often the top of the screen would be littered with all sorts of little notifications. People who I knew and some who I don’t offering conversation and insight.
I guess we choose what we will be connected to. Today the options seem limitless. Perhaps though all of these connections simply rob us of being connected to ourselves and what is important to us.
What really counts?
What could you be more connected to?
What do you need to disconnect from?
This crash is yielding questions which will influence my future.
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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com