Too Much Data, Not Enough Information

dataWe are overwhelmed and consistently inundated with so much data that we overthink almost everything. We find ourselves trapped in our heads – virtually disconnected from our bodies, and consequently not engaged in enough feeling or intuiting as part of our process of interacting and deciding. We find ourselves somewhere other than the present.

And we are doomed to failure following this approach. Our mind, thinking alone, is only capable of handling seven bits of information, plus or minus two. Consequently, we are hopelessly trying to run the entire universe with the firepower of a “AA” battery.

By engaging our emotions, heart, and our sixth sense, the gut, we actually have access to more information – less data, but more information. If our mind is a computer, our emotions, heart and gut are the defragging program. They help reduce the clutter and the time and energy spent culling over mounds and mounds of data so we can create and strengthen the connection and integration among mind, body, heart, and soul. With this connection, we are able to receive more useful, insightful, and inspired information to guide our choices and our lives.

Be a selective sifter. Begin saying no to the data overload by experimenting with watching less television, taking a break from the newspaper and the news, or reflecting on what you can eliminate as sources of information.

Also, challenge yourself to decide what you really need to know and what knowing actually means. As Eckhart Tolle said, “It is in the not knowing that the knowing emerges.”

Consider how all this data keeps us from the present moment, the only place where experiencing life actually occurs. Mitigate your constant checking of emails, texts, tweets, and instagrams and see how having screen-free periods positively impacts your ability to think, feel, sense, and know.

Remember that more data and myriad sources of information do not facilitate communication and connection – being present does.

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