2024 is “Wrapped”

2024 is a wrap—at least according to Spotify. This week, subscribers received their “2024 Wrapped,” which highlighted their top artists, songs, podcasts (hopefully Kintsugi is part of mix), and listening time. 

I received mine. The Beaches from Toronto topped the charts. I spent nearly two hours a day listening to music or podcasts from over 900 artists—sometimes they played in the background or during live meditations that I host, and other times, like cycling inside, I paid better attention. Anyway you slice it, and that’s a lot of noise to pay attention to. 

The voices of the internet say, as I once did, that time is our most precious resource because you can’t create more of it. But I no longer believe this to be true. Time is neutral—it’s a container. What makes a moment meaningful is where your attention goes within that time. A distracted hour can feel wasted, while a focused minute or two can be transformative.

Spotify’s Wrapped shows us a slice of where our attention has gone this year and inadvertently invites us to be curious about how we’ve allocated our attention overall.

I’m sure somewhere, some Dr. Evil from some platform is working on monitoring our overall attention for his gain. Recently, I asked ChatGPT: “If you were the devil, aiming to enslave humanity without force, what would you do?” It generated seven steps, the first being “Encourage Endless Distractions.” The other six are no less concerning…cue the doomsday playlist. 

But there’s hope—we have the power to choose where we direct our attention. We might start by paying attention to our bodies, which whisper to us before they shout. Our bodies might actually be our most valuable resource—we only get one, and what happens within them shapes how we experience life.

We can also pay better attention to each other because, whether we like it or not, we are profoundly connected even when we feel divided. 

This week, while conducting research interviews for my upcoming book with Dr. Shawn Andrews about work culture, common themes emerged about how we commonly view each other as transactional resources to get things done rather than humans deserving of genuine attention. We need to do better and we can. 

In a world that thrives on distraction, pulling us into endless scrolls and mindless clicks, what if we saw reclaiming our attention as a form of resistance? Choosing where and how we focus could disrupt a system designed to exploit us and help us regain control over our time, energy, and life.

As you look toward 2025, here are four questions to Pause, Breathe, and Reflect on:

1. What truly brought you joy and fulfillment this year?
2. What behaviors or circumstances distract you the most?
3. How might you pay more attention to your body’s needs?
4. How could you be more attentive to those around you? 

You can also take my Free Smartphone Wellness Check and receive practical tips to prevent your phone from stealing too much of your attention. Click HEREto begin. 

And speaking of connection.

This week’s Kintsugi podcast episode is out. It’s about the importance of saying Thank You as we wrap up chapter 2 and begin chapter 3, which has a plot or at least a format twist. You can click Kintsugi to listen to the 15-minute episode. 

Until next week, have fun storming the castle! 

Peace + Kindness, 

Michael

Download your Pause Breathe Reflect app here and discover how to be more attentive. 

p.s. This post is dedicated to our Jester aka J-Man or J. He crossed the rainbow bridge 🌈 on Monday, and he was incredible. He was so attentive, happy, and resilient. He would walk through fire for my wife. When you have a pet, they fill your life with joy, but when it’s their time, it feels like a gut punch—it hurts so much. I miss him so much. 🐾🤍

Besides losing J, life threw a lot at us in November, including surgeries, elections, other life/work stuff, and an error that wiped out most of my email database that receives this blog. 

As Rumi writes, “This being human is a guest house. Every morning, a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.”

I can’t say we’re stronger from all of it, but our guest house is still open, and we keep pedaling.