Everywhere Else

Written By: Kevin Holmes

In a world where screens rule over the minds of both adults and children. Holidays contain time in front of video games. And family time consists of everyone sitting on their phones. There is an overwhelming thought that comes to mind:

Are we letting the screens rule our lives?

I want to challenge you for a moment. Think about the last time you were with your friends or family or in a group of people. How many people had their phones out? Had the tv on and watched Netflix? Or how many times did people post things to their snap chat, Instagram or Facebook?

 

Odds are a couple of moments that flashed through your brain. 

 

The reason I ask this is that life contains moments. And because life is full of moments, ask yourself, “How long does a moment last?” The answer is not very long. So why are we living out these moments through our phones?

One summer my family and I chose to go to Florida to spend time on the beach and relax. When we got there we decided to go to the beach the next day. It was a warm, sandy beach day. Very calm and relaxing. Well, my wife, Lisa and I were laying on the beach while our kids were in the ocean having fun. As I was enjoying the sun I looked around the ocean and saw a huge, dark mass in the water. 

My heart started pounding and I jumped from my chair and yelled, “KIDS GET OUT OF THE WATER NOW!!!!” Needless to say, I was having a minor panic attack because I had no idea what that creature was in the water. 

As my children were getting out of the water, I had someone from the beach come up and enlighten me that Manatees are very popular in this area.

 

Manatees. I freaked out because of a manatee. 

 

Everything was fine and my kids went back to enjoying the beach. Walking back to my chair, I looked around the beach. I remember thinking how nice it was that people were walking around on the beach, enjoying the day. 

I noticed something weird. The people walking on the beach had their hands in the air and were moving their phones around. I realized they were walking around playing a game called Pokémon Go. 

Why did I tell you that story? 

I told you this story as an example of how easy it is for moments to happen. If I had been on my phone, I would have never seen that manatee. Or enjoyed watching my children laugh and have fun or even have some quality time with my wife. I would’ve spent all those moments behind a screen instead of being IN the moment with my family.

My point is, technology is awesome and I love the features and benefits it provides but life is too short to live your moments behind a screen. Let’s be better managers of the time we spend using our devices.  You only have a short time with your family, make it count and put down your phone. Shut off the TV and talk to one another. You won’t remember the show, game or social post. You will remember the laughter, conversations and time together. 

 


Kevin Holmes is an owner and the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Holmes Marketing Services. He is passionate about giving Holmes clients the best possible experience and exceeding expectations. To discuss how to make your marketing work for you, or to learn more about Holmes, you can contact Kevin at kevin@thinkholmes.com