Why Being On Your Phone Is Doing You More Harm Than Good

One of the things I've been focusing on lately in my personal practice, is expanding my capacity for receiving support.

I was recently in a restaurant when a stranger came up to me.

“Hey, I know you!” he said, with a big smile on his face.

I looked at him, confused as I’d never seen him before.

“You were in the parking lot of the yoga studio.”

I nodded, recollecting that I’d attended a dance event just before heading to the restaurant.

The mystery man continued: “I was on my motorbike and I tried giving you a ride. Even stopped right in front of you and offered. But you didn’t see me, you were so focused on your phone.”

(Quick disclaimer: Bali has a small ex-pat community, so it’s not weird to offer someone a ride or approach each other in this way. If this was a dark alley in the streets of Manhattan, I would have been more nervous 😂).

In the past, I might have dismissed such a bold comment from a stranger, but what really struck me was that:

1. He was right — I had completely missed him, and

2. I was busy on my phone because I was trying to order a ride on an app and track the driver’s progress

“Oh my god, I had no idea!” I laughed sheepishly and explained to him why I hadn’t seen or heard him.

What he said next really landed:

“I’m going to say something and I invite you to really hear this.”

“How many times in your life have you had amazing opportunities pass you by, signs that were right in front of your nose, but you didn’t notice them because you were on your phone?”

Trust me when I say that he delivered this message in a really not intrusive way.

I was SHOOK.

While I don’t consider myself as someone who’s “constantly” on her phone, the irony of the situation didn’t fly by me:

I had been focused on my phone LOOKING for a driver.

Yet, here was a kind person offering me a ride. Literally right in front of me, and I couldn’t see them because I was too absorbed in finding a solution MY way.

Ahhh! What a freaking lesson.

I had closed myself to the possibility that my problem could be solved any other way.

This got me reflecting on how many times we ask the Universe for help and it’s sent, yet we don’t see it because we’re looking to fix the very thing we requested assistance with ourselves.

(Read. That. Again 👆)

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So we keep our heads down, working super hard and worrying about finding a solution, when the Universe is literally like… “Hi there child, here it is on a silver platter” 😂.

One of the things I’ve been focusing on lately in my personal practice, is expanding my capacity for receiving support and cultivating trust in being taken care of by forces bigger than myself…

In shorter terms — I’m learning how to trust life better. That looks like:

  • Allowing the people around me to offer me support (even when it’s uncomfortable)
  • Exploring different ways to do less while creating more
  • Creating more spaciousness and flow in my schedule to allow life to “surprise” me

Needless to say, I’m very grateful for this gentle reminder and slice of humble pie 🙏🏼.

So now I turn to you,

What opportunity might be just in front of your nose that you’re distracting yourself from?And, in what ways can you allow yourself to be taken care of by the Universe today?

A small exercise that I sometimes take my clients through, that I’d love to share with you before I go…

Write down something you really want from life right now. Just one thing.

Then, draw a line in the middle of a piece of paper. To the left, write down a list of things that you will do in order to make this thing happen.

For example… if your goal is to have a $100K launch, then it would be things like hire a customer service person, make a launch plan, create all of the copy, etc.

On the right side, write down a list of all the things you’ll allow the Universe to deliver to you…

Is it having your message get in front of your dream clients?

Making serendipitous connections that will lead you to another opportunity you couldn’t think of now?

Is it keeping the creativity and juiciness flowing through you?

What is your responsibility, and what will you allow yourself to receive from Source?

You never know, there might be someone right in front of you, offering you a solution that’s way better than the one you’ve come up with 😁.

Hey, I’M CELINNE DA COSTA!

I'm a self-actualization coach and brand growth expert for CEOs, executives, and leaders. My work has been featured internationally, including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, and TEDx. I've helped thousands of visionary leaders worldwide to unlock their most powerful story from within and grow their influence, income, and impact while staying aligned to their true soul's purpose.

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