Clegg argues that constant distraction from phones, notifications, and entertainment lets us avoid the pain of wasted potential. When we stay distracted, we develop what he calls an integrity gap: the distance between who we could be and who we actually are. That gap drives substance abuse, workplace toxicity, and hatred.
Chapters
Foreign.
Turns to pain.
That's. I think it's a. I believe it's an incredibly important idea.
Why do so many people on the planet right now medicate themselves? They medicate themselves with too much technology. Anyone agree with me? Show of hands or round of applause like they are, they are medicating themselves in front of that white screen 110 times, checking the smartphone every day. That is not checking your technology. You know what that is? That is an addiction and an escape from what is.
And if you said to most people, did you know you're addicted to your smartphone? Did you know you're addicted to your notifications? Did you know you're addicted to your television? Did you know you're addicted to your excuses? Did you know you're addicted to gossip? Did you know you're drinking too much alcohol because you are addicted to it? Did you know that this is all a flight from what is? Because deep down inside, the deepest unknown part of you knows that you are in pain over potential unlived, they would fight you to the death. Am I making sense here? Show of hands. Deep down inside, I believe most people on the planet are heartbroken. Why? Because they have betrayed the visions, ambitions, values, mission in their heart. They have betrayed their talent by buying into the mass hypnosis that the world has sold them. And now they're 35 and they're 45 years old and they're just, oh no, no, this is what everyone does. And they just check, check, check. And then you know what Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician said, Most people.
Their misery is derived.
By their inability to sit quietly in a room by themselves.
You know how many people are frightened of their own company? And I've shared with you. Right. No, seriously, they're frightened of their own company. I've shared with you the neurobiology. Transient hypofrontality. You can't play at Edison, you can't play at Misty Copeland, you can't play at world class unless you bring yourself away from the world and do the practice, do the training, do the thinking to set up transient. To set up transient hypo frontality.
And that creates the pharmacy of mastery.
And it brings you from beta to alpha and it releases the dopamine and the serotonin. And the psychologists have told us that state is flow. And I guess what I've been suggesting with transient hypofrontality, you have flow within you, you have genius within you. Most of us are so distracted, they're so overstimulated.
They'Re so Interrupted that they don't create the silent spaces where their genius can present themselves. Are you with me so far on this? Say yes. Yeah.
And just because 95% of the population does this, we think this is how we should live. I can't tell you how many times now people are walking right into me because they're like this. Like, you get off an airplane and you know what I'm talking about here. Get off an airplane, you want to go to your hotel. And people are like this because they just got off the airplane and like you're sitting there behind them. Okay, I guess I have to walk behind you because you're checking your screen. Anyone know what I'm talking about here? Do you know how dangerous it is to be on the highways these days? Am I speaking truth here? You ever look? I love looking in people's car windows. Now everyone's smoked out. I get it. You know, you can't see anymore because we're insulating ourselves. But really, so many people are unbelievably unpresent to the world.
It's stunning.
And so what I'm suggesting to you is the mass of humanity, the reason they're doing this, it's a flight from the pain that is deep within their subconscious. And why are they in pain? Why do they need the medication of distraction? Is because they don't want to feel the pain.
It's uncomfortable. It takes bravery to feel the pain. And all I'm suggesting to you is if you have betrayed your potential, if you are not bringing it on, if you are not shining your light in the world, if you are not standing in the highest expression of your fullest talents, you're not only doing a disservice to the world.
You are just growing the pain.
And if you're just growing the pain because you're not playing world class and you're not standing for your authenticity. Authenticity just means bring your potential and your light to the world. And if you're not doing that, your pain is going to grow. Your deeper hidden sorrow will grow. And you'll drink more alcohol, you'll do more drugs, you'll be more toxic in your workplace, you'll be more passive aggressive or outright hateful. And if you're wondering why the world has so much hate, that.
Little idea is why.
And so the best thing you can do is close the chasm between your unexpressed life and your current life. I call it the integrity gap. If you're not playing it wow, if you're not full on in your light, and your creativity, you're out of integrity. And here's the thing, every single person in this room feels it subconsciously. And I talked about Christ and connected. We feel your growth and we feel your pain. Anyone like that? Is that an interesting idea?
If you are going, I'm not making enough money in my business. You're all, a lot of you are very rich.
People are feeling your scarcity. If you're saying all the words, I'm a great leader, I've got a great culture. But deep inside you're a taker. People are feeling your taker. Hooding Ness hood.
If you really don't care about people, you only care about yourself. You are breeding scarcity out into your field and your industry. You want to be a great marketer. You want to be a great marketer. Come from a dominant position of extreme generosity. And we will feel your generosity in your copy. We will feel the generosity on your videos. We will feel that you love your customers from your platform. You can't fake service. You can't fake leadership. You can't fake generosity. You can't fake seeing your work every day as the fine art art in your craft.
