Have you ever spent any time with someone who is always looking at himself—in a mirror, in a store window, in anything he can find that will reflect his image back to him so he can check himself out one more time?  It’s kind of sad, isn’t it?

The Greeks told the story of Narcissus, a hunter who was renowned for his beauty.  He was so taken with his own appearance that he fell in love with himself while staring at his reflection in a pool of water.

So what does this have to do with paying attention?  Well, the world has figured out that it can make a lot of money selling us mirrors so we can stare at ourselves just a little bit more, so that we can pay more attention to…ourselves.

Think I’m crazy?  Don’t think you have a bunch of mirrors at your fingertips prodding you to take another look?  Well, think again.

Our phones, iPads, computers…Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snap Chat, Pinterest…they’re all mirrors, and they are built to ensure that you keep looking.  Not at your own face, usually—it’s deeper than that.  They are mirrors of yourself, maybe even of your soul.  They are designed specifically to always give you more of what you immediately desire, in order to keep more of your attention, the single most valuable commodity on the market today.

The top 10 social media companies in the world are worth more than $6 trillion dollars…and their single greatest source of value is the time you spend looking into their digital mirrors.

Your parents, your teachers, and I may warn you about the ugly content out there on the internet that you need to watch out for.  But the truth is, the greatest danger of all is the same one Narcissus faced—becoming intoxicated with our own image.  Sometimes, the one thing we most assuredly don’t need is yet another look in the mirror.

Have a wonderful day.